Bondage
by Company Calls Epilogue
Summary: slightly OOC and OotP spoilers... (7th yr) Harry goes through a really tough breakup with his girlfriend and what could sting more than using that pain as a weapon against him? leave it to draco to find out. RR
1. Under A Blackened Sky

Just some quick notes and stuff:  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry, Draco, mostly anything Hogwarts related (other than little details) belongs to JK Rowling. Everything else, plot included, is mine  
  
On with the story then....  
  
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He stood there, seeming not to understand a word she was saying. A hand on his arm, he looked down, perplexed, such perfect fingers, resting delicately against his skin. A touch that was always so soft and now so poisonous; a touch that was always addicting.  
  
"I'm sorry. I really am. I promise I don't mean to hurt you. It's just, well, I need some time alone. To think. To find myself." Her voice cracked, and the tears fell down her soft skin. He longed to reach out to her, to hug her, kiss her tears away, make everything better. She didn't deserve to hurt, even if it was her own choice. He would do anything to keep her from crying, to make it better. Anything.  
  
But words failed, he felt like he was sinking, his perfect reality spiraling downward deeper into a pit of nothing. He loved her. Loved her with everything inside him, and now she was ending it. Rejecting him. He wanted to cry, wanted to throw up, choking on the words that were stuck in the back of his throat. He found his voice.  
  
"Hermione. I. I don't know what to say." His voice was soft, every bit of hurt he felt inside echoed in his hollow words. "I really thought you loved me."  
  
"You don't understand, you're not listening to me." She said sternly. "I do love you. I'm just not in love with you. I just need space. It's not you it's me." She sniffled, and wiped her eyes on the corner of her robes. "I just don't think that I am capable of loving someone the way you deserve to be loved. But really Baby, I care about you and if I didn't think this was for the best, I wouldn't do it."  
  
"Don't call me 'Baby'." He said icily. Hermione cringed at the disgust in his voice, but she knew him better than that. She knew that he was just masking the hurt with bitterness. He looked up at her for the first time, making eye contact for the first time since she started the conversation. Her eyes were empty, blue pools of nothing looked back at him. No sadness, no regret, no sorrow, no guilt or shame; just emptiness. He looked around the common room, it was empty too. But at two in the morning that was expected. The fire beside them had died down to a dull glow, casting shadows on their figures. Hermione watched him, waiting for a reaction of some sort.  
  
Turning to face her, he took her hands in his. He loved her. She loved him, and he wasn't going to lose her now. He wasn't. It just wasn't fair. He bent his neck and pressed his lips against hers, claiming her in a kiss that was intended to reignite the passion she once felt. It was only seconds before she tore herself out of his grasp and ran, throwing one last insincere look over her shoulder. And she was gone before he could even understand why he kissed her that last time. It was over. It was over for real. She was gone, she left him. His world was crumpling around him, the darkness of the common room was encircling him and slid to the floor with a thud. Slumped against the cold wall, he cried. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, collapsed as tears of pure hurt and betrayal poured from his eyes. He stayed crumpled on the ground until all he could do was shake with dry sobs.  
  
Harry awoke the next morning in his bed. He had no recollection of how he gotten there, but he was there all the same. Before his eyes had even opened, the feelings of dread from last night washed over him. She was gone. Hermione, his love, the radiance in his life, had left him. Left him to die. Alone and lonely. He spilled out of his bed and staggered to the bathroom.  
  
He looked at himself in the mirror, he was wearing red and blue plaid pajama pants, and his chest was bare. His skin was evenly tanned and the years of Quidditch had paid off in a sense that he was adequately developed and sculpted. His face however, revealed how much he had endured in the last 12 hours. His skin was colorless and pasty, with the exception of his green eyes, which were darkly rimmed with red, bloodshot and inflamed. The shimmer they once held was spent, and the vibrant green had faded to just a shadow of what they once were. His hair was even worse than usual; it stood up at all directions and refused to do anything remotely normal. He looked exactly like he felt, brokenhearted.  
  
He went through the routine of getting ready for classes by habit. Putting on khaki slacks, a white oxford dress shirt, a tie in Gryffindor's colors and robes. He didn't bother to look in the mirror to make sure he had dressed properly, but it didn't matter. His shirt was barely buttoned; his tie hung loose around his neck and he had forgotten his belt completely.  
  
By the time he staggered down to the great hall for breakfast it had filled completely. Harry scanned the room for Ron. Ron was his best friend. He had been since they met 6 years ago. Harry was convinced that Ron would choose his friendship over Hermione's. Clearly that's where his loyalties should and would lie. After all, they both knew that Harry would choose Ron in a heartbeat, given the chance. That's just the way it was.  
  
But when he spotted Ron at the table, his stomach turned and he felt the ground rush up at his face even though he remained upright and the floor clearly wasn't moving. He stood paralyzed and just gaped at Hermione sitting with Ron, laughing, her hand on his arm, just like she had touched him the night before. That alone was enough proof of her true feelings; but when he examined his best friend and the woman he loved, he saw that Ron had his arm wrapped possessively and intimately around her waist. He had barely made it into the Great Hall before he'd seen her heavily flirting with his best friend and had been forced to turn and flee the sight. Overwhelmed by the nausea, he stumbled out onto the grounds. The frosty morning air of February bit at his nose and stung his fingers. Harry collapsed for a second time since his life twisted out of his control. Sinking down onto the frozen grass, he just sat with his knees pulled up against his chest, tears frozen on his pale cheeks.  
  
The only person who saw his brief entrance and panicked escape sat across the great hall and watched with mounting amusement. Silver eyes followed the abrupt departure and Draco Malfoy got up to follow Harry. After all, why miss a chance to make poor Potter's life even worse?  
  
Draco stood quickly, almost knocking his breakfast off of his table. His fellow Slytherins looked at him oddly as he followed Harry out of the Great Hall. He followed him down the corridor and out the main doors, onto the frozen grounds. Draco shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, mentally cursed the snow and himself for being out in the snow in the first place.  
  
"Potter!" He shouted. Harry barely glanced up. Despite his grief, he still didn't want Malfoy to see him weak. He stood slowly, drawing himself up to his full height of 5'11. He wasn't the tallest but he was an inch or two taller than Draco.  
  
"Leave me alone Malfoy, I can't handle this now. I can't handle you" He angrily brushed the frozen tears from his face in humiliation.  
  
"What's wrong Potter? " Malfoy sneered at him. Harry stared blankly at his opponent, refusing to answer. "Not willing to share, eh? Well don't worry, word travels fast. I heard that your girlfriend left you for a Weasel? That's got to be harsh."  
  
Harry grimaced at the words and looked down. He swallowed the response that almost came automatically. The automatic need to defend Ron's honor. At this point, Harry even made himself sick. He was so fucking pathetic and at least now he knew it too.  
  
Draco didn't stop though, he continued the verbal assault with vigor. "So tell me, is it painful to know that in her eyes, he is that much better than you." Again, Harry just looked at him, too hurt to manage an even an icy stare. Malfoy's words hurt, they stung, but as always, that was expected. He hated Malfoy. Hated him to the point where it smoldered inside his torso and flared up into a full fledged flame at the worst possible times ever.  
  
"Go away Malfoy" he finally managed, he spun on his heal he quickly walked away. Draco, unable to let Harry have the last word, followed at a jog.  
  
"Potter. Hey! Potter!" He shouted. "Turn around Scarhead!" Harry ignored him as Malfoy caught up to him. "A mudblood and a weasel. How fitting." He sneered to Harry's back.  
  
That was it. The embers of animosity raged inside and scalded all sense of reason. Harry whirled around. His fist connected to Malfoy's jaw, and knocked him backwards several feet as he tried to maintain his footing. Stunned, Malfoy just stood there and seemed unaware as Harry leapt onto him, beating his face with fury, letting everything out, hurling every profanity he could imagine at Malfoy's bleeding and bruising face.  
  
"What is going on here" a bitter voice belonging to Professor Snape froze Harry in mid-swing. Draco used this sudden halt in his attack as an opportunity to leap up and run to Snape's side.  
  
"Professor, he attacked me, do you know what this means? Look, I'm bleeding!"Malfoy panted, touching his split lip with a pale finger.  
  
"I see Draco, I see. Potter." Snape began, "fighting already? I should point out I knew you were trouble from the start. 50 points from Gryffindor and detention for two weeks should do it." Malfoy let out a string of profanities from the pain and then looked at Snape expectantly. "100 points Potter, now get out of here before I take more."  
  
Harry stood slowly and shot a deadly glance at Malfoy who was already headed towards the castle, Snape at his side. He looked down at his knuckles; they were split open and stained red with his and Malfoy's blood. He cringed as he wiped the metallic liquid onto his robes. He felt funny, hot inside, hot and thirsty. He turned towards the castle and left.  
  
Once back in his room he lay down, resting his forehead against the cool pillow. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the torrent of memories. His eyes burned as she came flooded back into his mind.  
  
memory  
  
It was spring, the air smelled of flowers and a gently breeze tickled his nose. He looked at her, god; she was gorgeous, as she laughed, as she tucked her hair back behind her ears. She was amazing. Leaning down his kissed her, gently, loving, she kissed back.  
  
"I love you Harry," she whispered.  
  
"I love you too Hermione" he exploded with emotions inside, kissing her again.  
  
He loved her so much, and now she knew. He had said it. He had told her he loved her. She loved him. Everything was perfect.  
  
He was jolted out of the memory by an owl landing on his stomach. It was tiny and he realized it as one of the owls reserved for in castle deliveries. He opened it slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the words  
  
Harry-  
  
please come to my office right away.  
  
-Professor Dumbledore  
  
Harry folded the note and slipped it in a pocket. He stood slowly, running a hand through his hair and wiping the tears that were continually leaking from his eyes. He headed off to Dumbledore's office. He knew the password, as he had been there a few times before. As he climbed the spiral staircase, he wondered what he could have done now. The door was half open and he knocked lightly and went in. Professor Dumbledore was sitting as his desk.  
  
"Harry, Harry come in, sit down" he said. Harry walked in, the closing the door behind him.  
  
"I'm sure you are wondering why you are here." Harry nodded slowly. "I was informed by Professor Snape that you were caught fighting with Draco Malfoy. More importantly that you were both bleeding."  
  
Harry nodded again, not sure what the blood had to do with anything. "Professor," he started, attempting to explain, "he provoked me, he- he called Hermione- he called her a mudblood" at the mention of his ex- girlfriend, his eyes stung once more. Dumbledore waiting patiently for the teenager in front of him to salvage control.  
  
"Harry, I need to tell you something very important about Draco Malfoy." He paused, as if thinking. "Mr. Malfoy is a Linkling Harry. Do you know what that is?" Harry shook his head, puzzled. "It's a genetic condition that runs in the blood of the men in the Malfoy family, it can bond a Linkling with a non Linkling. When you attacked Mr. Malfoy, you managed to mix your blood. Therefore resulting in an irreversible bond between you two. When we admitted Draco to Hogwarts, we knew of this condition and agreed to work with him to prevent him from accidentally connecting with anyone else. Do you see Harry? You are bonded to him, for the rest of your life."  
  
Harry stared back at him, in shock. Unable to understand what was being told to him. Bonded to Malfoy. Connected to the one he hated most.  
  
Harry sat in his chair, motionless and Dumbledore rose to let Draco into his office, followed by Professor McGonagall. When they were all seated again, he spoke. "Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, I'm sure you realize the severity of the situation at hand. I have brought you together to discuss how you would prefer e to handle it."  
  
"I would prefer to die," said Harry icily. "Anything to avoid being connected to him." Harry uttered the word 'him' with such animosity and disdain that the room seemed to drop in temperature.  
  
"And you both will, if you go longer than 48 hours without some sort of contact." Dumbledore said.  
  
"I'm aware" Dumbledore continued, "that you boys do not have the best history together, and I am almost fearful to say that you will have to get over it, because from now on you need each other."  
  
"This is your entire fault, Potter"  
  
"My fault?! It's not my fault you have bad blood"  
  
"At least I'm not a half-blood like you Potter"  
  
"Not all of us define a good wizard as inbred" he spat back bitterly.  
  
Draco tensed as Dumbledore interjected, to keep them from getting in another brawl. "Boys!" he said calmly "It should be most obvious to you that bickering will no longer get you anywhere. It is my humble advice that you come to terms with each other so that the rest of your lives aren't as miserable as they seem to be now. That is why I am making the executive decision to place you two in the far most tower towards the lake. It was reserved for visiting ministry officials, but I suppose you will have to use it. It only has one bedroom, but I can have the study turned into another one. The house elves take your things over there. Do you understand?"  
  
Harry nodded dismally, and Draco shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Good. Then you may go get settled in your new accommodations, the password is 'linkling'. I will excuse you from afternoon classes, but," he emphasized, "use your time wisely."  
  
Harry left the office quickly, desperate to be anywhere but there. He hurried to the other end of the castle, frantic to get to the new rooms and lock himself in his before Malfoy could. He was breathing hard by the time he reached the top of the spiral staircase. There was a portrait of a brown haired witch hanging on the wall. She eyed him suspiciously when he walked over to her.  
  
"Password?"  
  
"Linkling" he replied dully as the entrance opened. He climbed in and was quite impressed by what he saw. The first room was a small but elegantly furnished common room. 'This must have been for the Minister of Magic' he thought, based on the quality of the room.  
  
The carpet was cream colored and plush; it was so thick he sunk softly down into a few centimeters. The walls were almost golden yellow, and decorated with many expensive portraits. There were two large couches and a fluffy looking armchair seated by a blazing fire. To his right there was a door and he walked over to it, peaking in. It was a small bathroom, just having a toilet and a sink. There was a staircase in the back right corner that he supposed led to the rooms. He climbed it slowly and pushed open the first door. The room had a four-poster bed; the curtains were a dark shade of Slytherin green. Everything else in the room matched, as it radiated darkness.  
  
Continuing on he came to a second door, which led to another bathroom, which had a sink, a toilet, a bathtub and a nice shower. It was nice enough all right. The last room was of course his; it looked mostly like his dorm room except there was more privacy. He was shocked to see that his belongings had already been moved up. He pulled off his robes and hung them on the back of a chair. He reached into his trunk and pulled out a pair of Khaki pants. He heard Malfoy come in downstairs as he headed towards the shower.  
  
Stepping into the steam filled shower, he relaxed immediately. He let the streams of searing water beat down on his face and chest as he took in the events of the day. Lazily he moved to wash his body, going over every last detail of what had taken place earlier. Bonded to Malfoy. There was no one else he would hate more to be stuck with for eternity. Except maybe Crabbe or Goyle, at least Malfoy showed some signs of intelligent life, beyond the façade he put up. Harry leaned into the flow of water, washing the grime off his body and off of his mind. He loved showering; it made him feel clean inside, purified by the penetrating steam.  
  
He leaned his head against the glass wall of the shower, letting water cascade over his back. His eyes closed while his muscles loosened. Eventually he moved again, reaching to wash and condition his hair. He was washing out shampoo when he heard a noise. Figuring it was just Malfoy performing some death eater type ritual, he continued but was quickly interrupted by a scream. Malfoy stood in the middle of the bathroom, seeming completely horrified by the fact that he had just walked in on Harry in the shower.  
  
"Jesus Christ Potter, at least have some decency to lock the door," he shouted, after taking one good look at Harry's drenched body. Harry just stood there, shampoo trails running down his body as he stood in shock. Quickly and angrily, he shook his head, soapy water splattering around him before immersing himself in the water once more.  
  
'Fucking Malfoy' he thought 'insufferable git' .......  
  
Draco stormed out. He wasn't really angry at all. He knew Harry was in the shower long before he had barged in. It wasn't his fault. The dark haired Gryffindor had certainly matured a lot over the years. His chest was broad, his face defined, green eyes positioned perfectly, he imagined how it would feel to have Harry watching him, those emerald eyes filled with lust. Draco was tall. Harry was taller. He was muscled and well defined. He certainly didn't have anything to be ashamed of. Draco walked back to his room smiling. He had known he was bisexual since the beginning of third year. It wasn't until quite recently that he had lost all attraction to women at all.  
  
Lying down on his bed, he closed his eyes and imagined Harry as he was at that exact moment. Rivulets of water running down his chest, stomach.. Further down. Draco blushed as he pictured the pure manliness of Harry, and as he felt himself growing stiff. He heard Harry leave the bathroom and sighed. Harry hated him. He hated Harry, so why the fuck was he thinking this way about him?  
  
Harry thumped down the stairs, wearing only khaki cargo pants. His chest was bare, his pants hung low; exposing that fact he wore nothing underneath. His hair was unruly and wet, sticking in bits to his forehead. He had long since had his eyes magically repaired, making glasses no longer an issue. He had turned into a very attractive man.  
  
Harry sat down at the Table that was in the Common Room. He had brought down his Potions book and was about to start the 3-foot long essay Snape assigned on the dangers of love potions. He opened the first book and skimmed the page; the words all seemed to meld together, Potions was by far his worst subject. He would have failed it completely if it weren't for Hermione. But now she was gone too. His world was spiraling out of control and he was powerless to stop it.  
  
Draco came back downstairs about an hour later. He sneered at Harry. "Not much more clothed I see Potter, but at least you've hidden the embarrassing parts." He snickered obnoxiously had his own joke.  
  
"Don't you have somewhere; anywhere else you could go Malfoy? Perhaps the death eater's are having a meeting? I'm sure you're father knows, you could owl him. Why you are at it, be sure you complain lots about this current situation, maybe he can buy you a new life"  
  
"Fuck off Harry" he snarled. 'Whoa' he thought to himself 'I called him Harry'  
  
"I really don't remember giving you permission to call me Harry. So go the fuck away, I've got enough to worry about seeing as I'm already failing Potions."  
  
"Potions?" Malfoy asked, suddenly curious. "The love potion essay?"  
  
"Yes" Harry replied suspiciously "What of it?"  
  
"Potions is my best subject. I could help you" 'what the fuck?? Did I just offer to HELP Potter?'  
  
"Thanks, I'd rather fail 100 times over than have to spend one more unnecessary moment with you"  
  
"Jesus Harry! You're going to bloody fail!?"  
  
"Why should you care? Wouldn't you like seeing me fall again? And do NOT call me Harry."  
  
'He has a point. Why do I care?' Draco mused. "I don't care, I'm just bored and I like potions. I also like challenges, and I'm assuming getting anything through your thick skull will be a challenge."  
  
Harry was quiet for a moment; he knew Malfoy knew that he needed help. He would rather have anyone but Malfoy help him, but at the moment there was no one else. He really didn't want to take remedial Potions.  
  
"Fine. Help me"  
  
Draco sat down across from him, pulling the book Harry was reading towards himself. He scanned the page for only several seconds before he looked up. "No wonder it makes no sense. This isn't the right book." He stood up and hurried to the stairs, only to return moments later with a stack of books. Harry was shocked, to see Malfoy excited over anything, much less excited over helping Harry.  
  
Draco set a book down in front of Harry. "Page 492. Love potions. That should be enough information for most of your essay. But you also have to talk about why love potions are illegal and why they were outlawed. Also you have to mention why they are so difficult to brew. Potter, listen." and he launched into an explanation about the complex brewing of the potion. After several minutes of explaining, he looked at Harry, "Does it make sense?"  
  
Harry nodded, peculiarly, it did.  
  
"Okay, when your done let me see it, I'll check it for you" and with that he was gone out the portrait hole.  
  
Harry stared at his paper wondering what the hell had just happened. Had Malfoy just been nice? Ron wouldn't believe it. He stopped at that thought. Ron was gone from him. He had seen him and Hermione out on the grounds that day. Kissing. And more. They were both dead to him. He was completely and utterly alone in the wizarding world. His parents dead, Sirus dead, his two best friends dead. All he had was this stupid connection to Draco Malfoy that was promising to make his life miserable.  
  
Draco walked back into the small common room around 3 in the morning. He was quite drunk, having spent the evening and early morning hours back in the Slytherin common room with Blaise and Pansy. He stumbled in, almost falling on his face. He held his alcohol quite well, but he had had an exceptional amount. In light of recent events, he figured it was okay.  
  
He looked at Harry, who was asleep on his potions books at the table. He almost laughed out loud at how innocent Harry looked when he was asleep. Come to think of it... he did laugh. Draco walked over to Harry's sleeping body and stared innocently at him. His perfect pink lips were slightly parted and his hair was messy as expected, sticking in every direction. Each breath he took barely ruffled the papers spread around him. But Draco was mesmerized. He only stood there for a second before the alcohol caused him sway and to crumple by Harry's feet.  
  
Harry awoke with a start, and almost looked quizzically at Draco who was laying at his feet giggling.  
  
"I fell over Harry" Draco told him, in case Harry had missed the obvious.  
  
"I can see that Malfoy. Fucking don't call me Harry." He studied Draco for a moment and then it dawned on him. "How much have you had to drink?"  
  
"A teensy little bit" he replied, motioning with two fingers, to show the "small" amount he had had.  
  
"Right. Okay." Harry sighed. It was late, or rather, early, and he didn't want to deal with this. He raked his hair out of his eyes and stood up. "Can you stand?"  
  
"Of course" Draco proceeded to stand up, and then collapse onto Harry in a fit of giggles.  
  
"Um. I guess not." Harry moved Draco off of him and guided him to the couch where he "helped" (read: pushed) him to lie down. Harry looked down at Draco and smirked in a very un-Harry like manner. When he turned to leave, Draco spoke.  
  
"Wait."  
  
"Bloody hell, what now?" Harry groaned, without turning around.  
  
"Harry Potter." He paused for what he considered necessary dramatic effect; "you look hot when you sleep."  
  
"Pardon?" Harry slowly turned around.  
  
"Hot. Attractive."  
  
"What the hell?" Harry exclaimed, frustrated for a reason he didn't understand. Draco looked up at him, his usually cold eyes were almost innocent and his face wasn't a stone wall.  
  
He almost looked human. But then something that can only be described as panic flashed through his eyes, and the next moment he threw up all over himself the couch and the floor. Harry just watched, dumbstruck as Draco coughed and burped and got EVERYTHING out. Finally Draco ceased.  
  
Harry just groaned again. "This is not happening," he muttered to himself mostly because Draco was just lying there now completely transfixed by the mess he had made. Harry shuddered as the smell of liquor and bile reached his nose.  
  
"You fucking owe me Malfoy. I should leave you here to choke on your own stomach acid." He muttered a quick cleaning spell and flung a thick chenille throw blanket over Draco.  
  
"Thank you," Draco whispered.  
  
"Don't thank me. I already wish I left you crumpled on the floor by the table."  
  
Draco grinned. Albeit it was a drunk smile and somewhat loopy, it was still a smile, and not a smirk. "Goodnight Boy-Who-Lived." And with that he passed out.  
  
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	2. Lay Down Beside Me Then

Disclaimer in the notes at the beginning.  
  
PREVIOSLY....  
  
He studied Draco for a moment and then it dawned on him. "How much have you had to drink?"  
  
"A teensy little bit" he replied, motioning with two fingers, to show the "small" amount he had had.  
  
"Right. Okay." Harry sighed. It was late, or rather, early, and he didn't want to deal with this. He raked his hair out of his eyes and stood up. "Can you stand?"  
  
"Of course" Draco proceeded to stand up, and then collapse onto Harry in a fit of giggles.  
  
"Um. I guess not." Harry moved Draco off of him and guided him to the couch where he "helped" (read: pushed) him to lie down. Harry looked down at Draco and smirked in a very un-Harry like manner. When he turned to leave, Draco spoke.  
  
"Wait."  
  
"Bloody hell, what now?" Harry groaned, without turning around.  
  
"Harry Potter." He paused for what he considered necessary dramatic effect; "you look hot when you sleep."  
  
"Pardon?" Harry slowly turned around.  
  
"Hot. Attractive."  
  
"What the hell?" Harry exclaimed, frustrated for a reason he didn't understand. Draco looked up at him, his usually cold eyes were almost innocent and his face wasn't a stone wall.  
  
He almost looked human. But then something that can only be described as panic flashed through his eyes, and the next moment he threw up all over himself the couch and the floor.  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
Harry sat by himself at a table in the library, there were countless books spread out in front of him and he had his head in his hands as he poured over the thick text that was open.  
  
"Linklings  
  
By: Professor A. T. Wingfunk  
  
A linkling is a person, generally male, with a rare genetic condition that causes their blood to possess bonding powers. The bonding powers are however temporary,"  
  
'Fucking Dumbledore," Harry thought. 'He said they were permanent.' Harry grinned at his good fortune and continued reading with a smile on his face.  
  
"Unless the two bonded people are soul mates, in which case the bond is permanent. A young linkling will know from birth whom their soul mate is and will seek them. However, should the mate refuse them, the drive to find their soul mate that they once possessed will change into a hatred until the linkling has come of age (generally 17). After finding their soul mate again, the hatred fades and the linkling becomes infatuated. Once the linkling bonds by combining their blood with their mate's blood, they are connected permanently. For the rest of their lives they will need contact every two days, or 48 hours, or else both members of the bond will perish from what can only be described as a broken heart, whether they love their bonded partner or not. Contact can be achieved in any of the following ways, platonic physical touch lasting for at least ten minutes, sexual touch, or verbal conversation of depth and meaning."  
  
Harry's smile faltered and he groaned. This was permanent. He was almost certain. But he supposed he had to ask Malfoy, to be sure. Malfoy would know if they were soul mates or not.  
  
Harry slowly walked up to the tower and into the common room. Malfoy was sitting up on the couch with his head in his hands. As the portrait swung shut behind Harry, Draco groaned and sent a glare in Harry's direction. Harry almost laughed at the hung over boy in front of him. Almost. Draco flopped backwards on the couch and leaned into the soft cushions.  
  
"Are you just going to stare? Or were you actually going to say something?" he drawled, despite his current conditions.  
  
"We need to talk." Harry said quietly.  
  
"Sounds like you're breaking up with me, Potter." Malfoy smirked at his own joke, even though he knew it wasn't very funny.  
  
(A/N: I have a giant Maine Coon kitten asleep on my chest!)  
  
Harry walked over the armchair by the couch and sat down. "Are we soul mates?" he asked bluntly.  
  
"I see you were doing your homework" Draco said with a halfhearted sneer. Honestly, he didn't hate Potter anymore, he hadn't since he had turned 17 back in June, and he was finding it hard to keep up the charade that he hated Harry Potter. Maybe the Golden Trio, but not their leader, not the Boy-Who-Lived. In fact, Draco Malfoy was developing a sort of infatuation with his raven-haired (A/N I'm sorry, that 'raven haired' line is so cliché) roommate.  
  
"I did. So now I need you to answer my questions."  
  
"Okay. Fine. Yes. If you must know, we are soul mates. I've known that since the day I was told I was a linkling. My father doesn't know that my soul mate is you, but my mother does. That's why I wanted to be friends in the first year. And I'm assuming that you know that I hated you because you refused me."  
  
Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair, letting out a big breathe of air. "And I guess that means you don't hate me anymore."  
  
"No. I don't. I stopped hating you in June when in came of age."  
  
"Bloody hell. You don't "like" me right?"  
  
"Honestly Potter, I don't know. Okay?" With that Draco stood and as quickly as he could he stormed up the stairs and into the bathroom. Harry exhaled loudly when he heard the bathroom door slam shut and the shower turn on.  
  
Harry longed to have his two best friends back, he desperately needed someone to talk to about all of this. Desperately. He closed his eyes once more and searched his mind for someone he could talk to. Ginny. He could talk to Ginny.  
  
Harry stood and walked out of the common room. He entered the his old common room and looked around. The fire burned warmly against the wall and he saw the familiar red hair of Ginny Weasley poking out over the back of a couch. She was sitting with Ron, Hermione and Dean Thomas, her boyfriend. Harry took a deep breathe and screwed up his courage. He walked over the where his old friends were sitting and sat down next to Ginny. The conversation came to an awkward halt and four pairs of eyes came to rest on him.  
  
"Erm- uh. Ginny! Ginny can I talk to you?" he finally managed. The glares he was getting from Ron and Hermione were painful.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah sure." She replied, clearly confused, but curious all the same.  
  
The two stood and as they walked off he heard Ron say to Hermione, "if he hurts her like her hurt you, I'll bloody kill him." Harry winced at the implication that HE had broken Hermione's heart. But clearly that is the story she had told Ron and he didn't have the energy or compassion to set it right.  
  
"Ah, do you want to go for a walk?" Ginny asked softly. Harry had always been able to talk to Ginny, even though she was his best friends little sister.  
  
"Yeah sure." The two wandered out onto the snow-covered grounds. They followed one of the paths down to the lake and began the leisurely walk around the frozen lake.  
  
"You wanted to talk?" Ginny prompted gently.  
  
"Yeah. Everything is so confused lately."  
  
"I heard you dumped Hermione. She had a huge sobbing fit about it at breakfast yesterday. All this talk about how you broke her heart and everything. Personally it sounded really staged." Ginny paused and looked at him with sympathy before continuing. "I really didn't think you would have hurt her like that. I never would have thought you were hitting her." she finished quietly.  
  
"HITTING HER?? Like abusing her??" Harry fumed.  
  
"That's what she told us at breakfast yesterday. Ron had a fit, he cursed your name and promised to kill you and protect her forever."  
  
"I can't fucking believe it," Harry mused. "I never hit her, I wouldn't ever hurt her! She told you that? She fucking told you and Ron and everyone that I HIT her??" Harry felt the anger build inside him. That's why his entire house had been glaring at him like he was the bloody plague. Hermione had told them all that he had broken her heart and abused her. "She dumped me. She told me she needed time." Harry's voice broke and Ginny grabbed his hand comfortably for support. They continued hand in hand silently for a moment before he spoke again.  
  
"And I kissed her, I wanted to bring back what we felt, I wanted her to remember the love, to feel the passion, but she didn't. She didn't kiss back, she didn't respond she just felt cold and dead. And she told me it wasn't me, it was her. But god, Gin, it was me. I know it was." He paused and looked down at her. She just smiled reassuringly at him.  
  
"Oh good Harry, I hated believing that you would hurt her. I just couldn't." Now that she knew the truth, Ginny looked just as mad at Hermione as Harry was. How could that bitch tell those awful lies?  
  
"And yesterday, while everyone was eating, I couldn't stand it. I couldn't watch her and Ron and everyone. So I went outside. But Malfoy followed me, and he taunted me, and provoked me, until I lost it. I beat the shit out of him. I didn't use curses or magic, just what I learned from Dudley. I've never hit anyone like that before. But Ginny, I pounded his face over and over again until my knuckles were split open. And he didn't do anything to stop me." He paused and looked at her but she didn't meet his eyes. "And then Snape came. And he took a bunch of point from me and gave me detention, which I got out of."  
  
"And..." Ginny prompted.  
  
"and then I went back to the common room. And I got an owl from Dumbledore saying he wanted to meet with him. So I went to his office and Draco was in there. And they told me Draco was a linkling, and-"  
  
"A linkling?!" Ginny stopped walking and threw her arms around Harry's neck. "Oh god Harry, does that mean your.. you know, bonded?" Ginny, having grown up in the magical world, knew what a linkling was.  
  
"Yeah," Harry moaned. "That's exactly what it means."  
  
"well, I'm sure they told you it's temporary and all." Ginny said quickly. "I mean, it's not like you two are soul mates or anything. That's ridiculous."  
  
Harry was silent.  
  
"You." Ginny stuttered a little. "You are soul mates?" she asked, only it wasn't really a question. She already knew.  
  
Harry just nodded pitifully. Ginny looked up at his sympathetically, she reached up and brushed a tear off of his cheek. He just looked ashamed that she was witnessing his weakness. They had stopped walking and Ginny turned him to face her. She wiped several more crystalline tears away and wrapped her arms around his waste and pulled him towards her. He buried his face in her auburn hair and cried. Ginny just held the older boy, understanding that he just needed someone to care. After several minutes he pulled back slightly and attempted a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry Ginny." He rubbed his eye furiously, clearly embarrassed that he was crying. She smiled at him.  
  
"it's okay. I love you." She said softly. "Like a brother" she quickly added with a laugh. He smiled down at her and they started walking back to the castle talking of things that didn't matter so much.  
  
They parted at the main door to the castle and each went their own ways. Ginny back to the common room to tell Hermione off and Harry to his common room to shower.  
  
Ginny stormed up the staircases that led to the Gryffindor common room. She reached the portrait and muttered the password. She blazed in and over to where the rest of her friends were sitting. They were, as she expected, happily laughing about something and playing Exploding Snap. Ginny walked straight over to Hermione and slapped her hard across the face. Hermione reeled backwards, her hand clutched to her cheek.  
  
"What are you doing you stupid bitch?" she shrieked.  
  
"Ginny!" Ron yelled. He grabbed her arm at the wrist as Ginny tried to slap Hermione again. "Ginny, get a hold of yourself! After everything Harry's done to her, how can you hit her?" he demanded, going red in the face.  
  
"After everything Harry's done." Ginny repeated civilly. "EVERYTHING HARRY'S DONE!" she screamed at Hermione. "You fucking lying whore, you are worse than every Slytherin slut combined. How could you lie to us about why YOU dumped Harry? HOW COULD YOU tell those awful lies about your best friend? HOW COULD YOU LET US THINK THAT HE WAS HITTING YOU?" Ginny raged at Hermione who was huddled in the armchair she sat in, trying to get as far away from Ginny's angry words as she could. By this time the entire common room had turned to watch the Drama.  
  
"I don't know what she's talking about." Hermione said icily. "She's clearly delusional. Perhaps you should go see Madame Pomfrey." She suggested cruelly.  
  
Ron just wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and kissed the red handprint on her face. "'Mione baby, what's going on?"  
  
"Harry must of convinced her I made up that be beat me. And she believed his lies." Hermione let out a pathetic whimper and Ron pulled her into his lap.  
  
"Don't worry Baby, he won't come near you anymore." Ron shot a glare at Ginny and snarled, "Virginia, don't you dare upset her anymore with those bloody pathetic lies that Harry told you. She doesn't deserve it. Get out of my sight."  
  
Ginny glanced uncertainly at Dean, who just looked confused. Then she turned on her heal and left. Dean looked at Ron and Hermione, who were already engrossed in making out by the fire and shook his head. Hermione was lying. Even if the rest of the common room was looking at the couple with pity, he supposed she was lying. He stood up and left in the same direction his fiery-headed girlfriend had.  
  
"Hey! Gin!" he called, jogging to catch up to her as she stormed down the hallway on a warpath. "Wow." He said as he caught up with her, grabbing her arm and turning her around. She turned and he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and burying his face in her hair by her ear. "You're hot when you're mad, you know that?" he whispered suggestively in her ear. "Got me all hot and bothered."  
  
She pulled back and grinned at him. She stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lifting her lips to his, she captured him in a passionate kiss, biting lightly on his lower lip and then his neck and ear. She kissed his collarbone and giggled as he whimpered under her touch. She knew that was his weak point.  
  
"Mmm god Ginny. You're amazing" he purred into her hair as she pressed her slim hips up against him.  
  
Dean pulled her around the corner and into an empty bathroom. Everyone was in their common room or class anyways.  
  
"I want you right now," he moaned as he pushed her up against the wall.  
  
A/N  
  
This is not an NC-17 story, however, it may turn into one. Right now I do not feel like writing a sex scene because they are hard to do without turning it into an erotic story or porn or pure smut. There is an art to it, and so I will tackle that later. So for now, this is where I will leave off.  
  
Au revoir!  
  
-Kate  
Top of Form 


	3. And I Would Be The One

Mm YEAH. Two chapters in one day. Well its actually 12:55 am. But still, were still in the same day so gimme a break. Anyways. Review please.  
  
Still- looking for a serious beta-er and such. Leave me a comment if you are seriously interested. Lol.  
  
Special thanks to Pirate Bitch Nut-  
  
Darling- out of all (five... {insert tears}) of my reviews, yours are by  
  
far the most amusing. So THANKS! I decided to dedicate this lovely  
  
chapter to you.. lol  
  
PREVIOSLY....  
  
"Ginny!" Ron yelled. He grabbed her arm at the wrist as Ginny tried to slap Hermione again. "Ginny, get a hold of yourself! After everything Harry's done to her, how can you hit her?" he demanded, going red in the face.  
  
"After everything Harry's done." Ginny repeated civilly. "EVERYTHING HARRY'S DONE!" she screamed at Hermione. "You fucking lying whore, you are worse than every Slytherin slut combined. How could you lie to us about why YOU dumped Harry? HOW COULD YOU tell those awful lies about your best friend? HOW COULD YOU LET US THINK THAT HE WAS HITTING YOU?"  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Harry trudged back up to his common room, his mind all a mess. He didn't know how to feel about Draco, MALFOY, he mentally shouted. Not Draco. Malfoy. He didn't know how to feel about him, now that he knew that Malfoy didn't hate him. Harry was discovering that it was harder to hate someone who liked you, than it was to hate someone who reciprocated your hate. The portrait opened and he stepped inside. There was no sign of Draco and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to see someone who he neither loved nor hated. How was one supposed to act in that position? He didn't know, and wasn't too excited to find out.  
  
Harry climbed upstairs and into his room. He grabbed his book bag and went back downstairs to the desk. Opening his transfiguration book, he began to take notes for the paper he was writing. He worked diligently for an hour before the portrait opened and he looked up. Draco entered quickly and Harry noted the slight, well not slight, bulge in the front of his pants.  
  
Harry blushed.  
  
Unfortunately, Draco didn't notice Harry, because he stepped aside and let the blonde girl in behind him. He took her hand and led, or rather, pulled, her up the stairs. For the next half and hour, Harry heard the moans, the screams, the sounds of rough sex. And it turned him on.  
  
'Bloody fucking hell' he thought. 'This is ridiculous. I should absolutely not even be here. I should have left, I should have yelled, I should have done something other than sat here and listened.' Fortunately there was a loud pounding on the portrait and when he opened it, a flushed Ginny came flying in, followed by an equally flushed Dean.  
  
"Ginny!" Harry said, surprised, but happy to see her. She gave him a quick hug and sat down on the couch. Dean followed like the loyal boyfriend he was.  
  
"Nice room" Ginny said conversationally.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. I wish I didn't have to share it with Draco though."  
  
"Draco?" Ginny questioned.  
  
"Malfoy. I meant Malfoy." He corrected quickly, turning his face to hide the rising blush.  
  
Dean just stared at him, slowly, (but surely) connecting the dots. Harry sat down opposite the two.  
  
"So," he said lightly, "What brings you here."  
  
"Ginny bitch slapped Hermione in the common room!" Dean burst out excitedly. Ginny glared pointedly at her boyfriend.  
  
"I didn't BITCH slap her, I just gave her a bit of what she deserved."  
  
"You didn't hurt her badly, did you Gin?" Harry asked, clearly concerned for his heartless ex-girlfriend. "Please don't tell me you hurt her."  
  
"Well. She should have a bruise shaped hand print on that already deformed face of hers." Ginny mused with an indifferent shrug.  
  
"Oh god." Harry buried his head in his hands. "What if she's hurt?"  
  
"Oh for Christ's sake, Potter. You are disgustingly pathetic." Draco Malfoy drawled from half way down the stairs. "Get a fucking grip. Why do you give a shit about her anyways?" From behind him, the blonde girl walked down the stairs wearing one of Draco's shirts and her uniform skirt. "Bye Cecile!" Draco called, just for show.  
  
She waved and flounced out, her pleated skirt so short that her ass basically peeked out the bottom. Dean followed her with his eyes and Ginny hit the back of his head sternly but her face showed only amusement in his hormones, no trace of anger.  
  
"What?" he asked innocently, clearly knowing what he had done to piss her off. But he knew she wasn't angry.  
  
"Well I guess if you'd rather have her than me..." Ginny began, "though I doubt she would have let you fuck her in the bathroom like you did me just did ten minutes ago..."  
  
Dean contemplated and then grinned. "Nope. And that's the only reason I'm dating you." She kissed him at he wrapped his arm around her. "The only reason." She sighed and then rested her arm on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.  
  
"Jesus Christ" said Harry, half joking and half serious. "Is everyone getting laid but me today?" he asked to no one.  
  
"That could be changed, you know Potter, if you just came upstairs with me." Draco said from the bottom of the stairs. Harry knew he was joking but when he looked up he saw the boldly displayed lust in Draco's eyes and felt quite ashamed when his own cock stirred unappreciatively in his pants. He averted his eyes and Draco laughed in a superior manner, he saw what he did to Harry by just that one comment. And he liked it.  
  
Draco continued down the stairs and sat at the desk where Harry's stuff was all spread out. He shoved it one side and opened his own schoolwork. He worked in silence and Harry, Ginny and Dean tried to have a conversation, but it was awkward with the Slytherin sitting so close. After thirty slightly awkward minutes, Ginny stood up.  
  
"Well. I guess we should go now."  
  
Dean stood up too, "yeah I guess so. Later Harry." He didn't acknowledge Draco, but that was expected.  
  
"Bye" said Harry. He walked them to the portrait and then back to the couch where he flopped down.  
  
Draco sat with his head bent over a textbook, but he wasn't reading. He was thinking. He was thinking that his life was going to be miserable if he and Harry couldn't at least be friends. He was thinking that someone had to make the first move, and he was thinking that it might as well be now. He leaned back in his chair.  
  
"Ginny's hot." He said appreciatively.  
  
Harry shot him a glare. "Well she's dating Dean."  
  
"And fucking him too, I noticed."  
  
"Good observation Sherlock."  
  
"Who?" said Draco, clearly confused.  
  
"Never mind. Muggle detective character."  
  
"Oh." There was a pause. "I can still think she's hot though."  
  
"Well your taste isn't much to go by, seeing as last night you said I was hot. And I'm not. And you don't think so anyway."  
  
"You don't think you're hot?" Draco asked, surprised.  
  
"No I don't, and I don't like having thing conversation with you either." Harry stood.  
  
"Don't leave"  
  
"I don't like this conversation. It makes me uncomfortable, and I don't know what to think. Because it should just make me angry, but it doesn't. It just makes me unsure." Harry was shocked by the words coming out of his mouth. He didn't know why he was being so honest; he didn't mean to say all of that. He just meant to leave.  
  
"Well last night I meant it. And I mean it now, Harry" he said, trying out the first name of the boy he had hated for so long. "You are very attractive." Draco stood up.  
  
Harry stepped backwards, hesitant as to what he should do. Draco watched him blush and avoid eye contact. Harry was uncomfortable, and damn him to hell if it didn't make Draco all the more hornier.  
  
Yes. He was horny. He so fucking turned on by Harry Potter, his archenemy. He knew it wasn't supposed to be like this, and at the same time, he knew it was supposed to be like this. He knew Harry was his soul mate. He prayed that them coming together and sorting out their differences would happen eventually, and soon, because he was not looking forward to spending his entire life with someone who he couldn't have.  
  
Harry infatuated Draco Malfoy. He wanted nothing more than to strip him naked and taste every beautiful inch of his skin. He raked over Harry's body with his eyes. Harry stumbled backwards against the couch and Draco had to laugh.  
  
Harry looked up at the laughter. It wasn't the usually Malfoy laugh, arrogant and condescending. It was fun, it was light, and it was honest. Harry almost smiled. He watched Draco looking at him, and Harry had a powerful revelation. He wanted Draco Malfoy. He wanted him so bad. And that scared him. Terrified him. He had to get out of here.  
  
"I'm making you uncomfortable, Harry" Draco said knowingly.  
  
"Yes. Yes you are, and I have to get out of here before I do something stupid." With that, Harry darted past Draco and up the stairs. Draco heard his bedroom door slam and grinned.  
  
He was getting to Potter alright. He was getting to him fast. Faster than he would have originally thought.  
  
But there was one small problem. He was still really fucking horny.  
  
He couldn't bring Cecile back; honestly she wasn't what he wanted. He didn't even fucking like girls. He just wanted to make Harry jealous. And he had, he knew he had. He saw how Harry looked at Cecile as she left. That look had also lacked all forms of sexual interest, and that's how he knew that Harry was gay. Undoubtedly.  
  
review PLEASE 


	4. I'll Take You're Breath Away

I'm writing this and listening to Beethoven's Symphony #9, and I just realized that my typing gets faster and slower as the song does. Kinda crazy huh?  
  
ANYWAYS.  
  
Any review would be greatly appreciated, seeing as I have a pathetic life currently and they might add a little cinnamon to my plain barely buttered toast of a life. Yeah. That's what I need, cinnamon-y reviews please!  
  
On with the story..  
  
PREVIOSLY  
  
"I'm making you uncomfortable, Harry" Draco said knowingly.  
  
"Yes. Yes you are, and I have to get out of here before I do something stupid." With that, Harry darted past Draco and up the stairs. Draco heard his bedroom door slam and grinned.  
  
He was getting to Potter alright. He was getting to him fast. Faster than he would have originally thought.  
  
But there was one small problem. He was still really fucking horny.  
  
Chapter Four:  
  
Harry lay on the floor of the common room by the fire. It was colder than usual everywhere in the school, but that didn't stop Draco from going to Quidditch practice. Not that Harry was upset that he was gone, god no, he loved the time in peace. At least he though he did. Anyways, he lay by the fire struggling to answer the questions that Snape had assigned them for Potions. He was still on the second out of twenty questions and he had been working all day. At this rate he would never finish. He flopped his head down and groaned. This was ridiculous. He was the top of his class in every class except potions. He simply didn't have the patience and the natural skill to be a potions master.  
  
The wind picked up outside and the snow flying against the window pane made him shiver, despite the warmth licking up his body. At that moment, Draco came through the portrait. He was dripping wet and shivering. Harry looked up at him.  
  
"I canceled the rest of practice, you cant see five feet in front of you in that weather." Harry just nodded. He couldn't tear his eyes off of Draco's body. Because he was soaked, his shirt clung to him in all the right places and his hair dripped down onto his shoulders, giving him a very hot athlete appearance. Harry didn't even scold himself for looking at the boy in front of him. He couldn't.  
  
In the past few days, Harry and Draco had come to a mutual agreement to be civil at least. Instead of throwing arguments back and forth like daggers.  
  
"what are you doing?" Draco asked, as he set himself down on the couch.  
  
"Potions, and you're getting the couch all wet."  
  
"Still?"  
  
"Yes. I can't do it."  
  
"Well. I'm going to go take a shower, and then I'll come help you, I still have to do mine."  
  
"Okay, whatever." Harry tried to make himself stop thinking about Draco in the shower, but it was useless.  
  
After Draco left, Harry performed a drying spell on the wet couch and then flopped down onto it.  
  
Twenty minutes later Draco came back down in gray slacks and a white t- shirt. He lay down next to Harry and pulled the book closer. Leaning over to read the test, Harry couldn't help but bring his face closer to Draco's wet hair and breathe in the scent. He couldn't help the attraction he felt towards Draco at this moment. As the smell of Draco's shampoo infiltrated Harry's nose, Harry became aware that it was becoming increasingly harder to lay on his stomach.  
  
Harry quickly pulled his head back as Draco looked up at him. He didn't say anything at first and then Draco spoke.  
  
"Do you have another quill?" he asked. Harry almost laughed at the question, but reached to dig one out of his bag. As he handed it over, Draco licked his lips subconsciously, but that was all it took for Harry to lose control, something he rarely did.  
  
Before Harry even realized what he was doing he had leaned over and dropped his face onto Draco's, catching his mouth in a hurried kiss. Draco's lips were soft, they were warm and while they were still for a moment in shock, it wasn't long at all before they came to like and moved with Harry. Draco parted his lips in an invitation to take it further, and Harry slid his tongue into Draco's mouth without thinking twice. Somehow he had managed to roll so that he was half on top of Draco with one arm and one hand on either side of Draco's face, kissing him passionately. Draco had woven his arms up around Harry's neck and was playing with the hair at the nape of Harry's neck.  
  
Harry pulled back at last, shocked by what had just happened. But when he looked into Draco's eyes, expecting to see disgust and anger, he saw only pure lust. Draco pulled his neck back down and crushed his lips to Harry's, pulling the other boy on top of him completely.  
  
Harry laughed at obliged, he could feel Draco stiffening under him, and he groaned into Draco's mouth at the friction on his hardening cock. Harry felt Draco reach up under his shirt and he helped Draco so that he could remove both of their shirt. After they were both topless, Draco ran his hands all over Harry's defined chest and abs. And then lower. Harry's breath caught in his throat as Draco slipped his hand lower and then in the waistband of his boxers. He felt his warm fingers inching slowly closer to his cock and then finally, Draco wrapped his fingers around him and Harry groaned into Draco's mouth.  
  
Harry Potter awoke sharply, he was hot and sweaty and incredibly hard. He looked around, confused as to where he was. He was alone in his bedroom, the sheets stuck to his skin and a boner that would have to be dealt with before he could sleep again.  
  
And then the dream came back to him. In details that he would rather forget, the dream came back. Harry closed his eyes and for a moment he wished that it were reality. And then he realized what he had just wished for. He had just wished to have Draco sodding Malfoy jacking him off in front of the fire. How fucking pathetic was that? Harry almost threw up at the fact. Well, no actually he didn't, but he wished he could have been more disgusted. He wished he could have been disgusted at all. But as he lay back down against the pillows he realized that he was just disappointed that it was only a dream. He slipped his hand down under the sheets and into his boxers, gently stroking himself until he found a rhythm he liked. He closed his eyes and touch of Draco. He imagined his hand was Draco's, he imagined that Draco was replacing his hand with his mouth, his hot mouth wrapped around his cock, burying his face between Harry's legs, his tongue dancing circles around the tip and then he imagined he was fucking Draco, hard and fast, and holy fucking shit. Harry pressed his hips up into his fist and pumped harder as he came fast and hard into his closed hand. He groaned. He hated jacking off.  
  
Well, no, he didn't. What teenage boy hated it? But he hated it when it was all he had. He did a simple cleaning spell and snuggled back into the blankets which had been magically dried and were warm and cozy.  
  
As he drifted off he half prayed that he would have no more dreams of Malfoy, and he half prayed that he would only dream of Malfoy. He was a very confused boy.  
  
The next morning he couldn't even look Draco in the eye. He blushed bright red when he ran into him in the bathroom and mumbled a hurried excuse and fled. Draco had only smirked at him.  
  
Harry didn't understand why he was dreaming about Malfoy, and why he liked it. He didn't understand at all. He tried to remember all the dirty things Malfoy had done to him, the awful things he had said. But somehow all he could do was discount them, and tell himself that Draco was a changed person. That he wasn't like that anymore.  
  
REVIEW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 


	5. Maybe You'll Be Sorry

Okay, so I had a big long chapter will all sorts of good stuff typed out and then my computer went all not respond-y and shut Microsoft word down.  
  
AND GUESS WHO HADNT SAVED? YEAH. ME.  
  
Anyways, I wouldn't mind typing it all out again because I am a fast typer because we use laptops in school so I've learned to type fast, EXCEPT that currently I have no space bar, so for every space I have to pound the empty hole in the exact center like 20 times to get one space. So it is slightly time consuming. Needless to say, I am saving like a maniacal chicken. (or something)  
  
My goal is to get this keyboard fixed so that I have a space bar.  
  
Also, in the quest for a good name, here's what you lovely people came up with:  
  
48 Hours (Pirate Bitch Nut) Friends can Turn, But Enemies Are Always There (Pirate Bitch Nut) Pirate Bitch Nut (Pirate Bitch Nut) Alstromerias Die But Roses Live (Pirate Bitch Nut) Love Link (Immortal Memories) Linkling Love (Immortal Memories) Love through Hate (Immortal Memories) Bondage (Syn) All The Wrong Places (The Original Title) Bonding (Current title)  
  
And thanks to your lovely suggestions, I was able to pick one. Er well one picked me.  
  
The new title is.....  
  
BONDAGE!!!!  
  
This one kind of jumped out at me because of the double meanings, you know, bonding and then the S&M definition.  
  
Either way, THANK YOU SYN()!!!!!!! YOU WIN!!!! (Not that this was a competition, lol)  
  
Wow. I'm sorry, that was a whole page of just me rambling... on with it now...  
  
"S&M" is "sadism & masochism"... like whips and chains and sex kind of stuff. Dungeon play, if you will.  
  
That being said, I will stop rambling now, because I know that I HATE IT when authors write pages and pages of stuff at the top of the story that I just have to scroll over. So I am very very apologetic.  
  
On with it now...  
  
PREVIOSLY....  
  
He groaned. He hated jacking off.  
  
Well, no, he didn't. What teenage boy hated it? But he hated it when it was all he had. He did a simple cleaning spell and snuggled back into the blankets which had been magically dried and were warm and cozy.  
  
As he drifted off he half prayed that he would have no more dreams of Malfoy, and he half prayed that he would only dream of Malfoy. He was a very confused boy.  
  
The next morning he couldn't even look Draco in the eye. He blushed bright red when he ran into him in the bathroom and mumbled a hurried excuse and fled. Draco had only smirked at him.  
  
Harry didn't understand why he was dreaming about Malfoy, and why he liked it. He didn't understand at all. He tried to remember all the dirty things Malfoy had done to him, the awful things he had said. But somehow all he could do was discount them, and tell himself that Draco was a changed person. That he wasn't like that anymore.  
  
Chapter five (for real this time)  
  
Draco sat at the Slytherin table, talking lightly with his fellow classmates, when a small owl flew down to him and dropped a letter on his food. He picked up the parchment and wiped the maple syrup off it. It read:  
  
Draco-  
  
I need you and Harry to come to my office after breakfast for a quick conversation.  
  
Headmaster Dumbledore  
  
Draco looked across the Great Hall and saw Harry reading a similar letter. He shrugged. He didn't know what it was all about, but he wasn't worried or anything.  
  
After Harry finished eating, he excused himself from Ginny and Dean and left the Great Hall, headed for the headmaster's office. Halfway down the hallway, Draco caught up to him.  
  
"Any idea what this is about now?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Nope."  
  
After those brief words, they walked in silence. They weren't at each other's throats anymore, but they were far from being friends. Putting it in simple terms, they tolerated each other, but that was about it.  
  
Harry knocked on the portrait and it swung open. Dumbledore was seated behind his large mahogany desk.  
  
"Have a seat, boys," he greeted them. "Can I get you anything to drink? Tea? Pumpkin Juice?"  
  
The two boys politely declined, and sat back waiting for the older wizard to begin speaking.  
  
"We need to have a conversation about your future. It was brought to light that this bond is indeed not temporary, due the fact that Mr. Malfoy has been aware of the pairing for quite some time." He paused and took a sip of the tea in front of him. "We need to discuss how this effects both you, Harry, and Draco. This is quite a different situation now, it being a permanent bond and everything. How much do you know about permanent bonds, Harry? Draco, I'm assuming you have been informed by your parents." Draco grimaced, showing that he had, in fact, been told all the details. Harry however, looked somewhat lost.  
  
"Sir, I don't really know much about it, except what I read in the library. I know that we are soul mates, and I know we 'need each other' but I don't know what that means." He said honestly.  
  
Draco snickered and Harry shot him a death glare.  
  
"Well, you are correct, you do need each other, and what that means, in the case of a permanent bond, is you need sufficient physical contact at least every 48 hours. I am aware that you are not the best of friends that Hogwarts has ever had, but I trust you will be able to make something work."  
  
"So we just have to, like, touch?" Harry asked.  
  
"That would be the easiest way to satisfy the bond, but you can also partake in any sort of meaningful conversation, so long as it brings you two closer, mentally. That may not be the easiest thing to do, in the beginning." Dumbledore paused and for once did not quite meet their eyes. "Now I have to ask you boys, and you understand why, I'm sure, but exactly what is your sexual orientation?"  
  
Homosexuality was not regarded as anything out of the ordinary in the wizarding world, given that you could marry completely different species, gender was not made out to be that big of a deal. That didn't however, mean that it embarrassed the two boys any less.  
  
Harry felt the blood rise to his face; this was the point where Draco would find out the truth. Or at least part of it. He was shocked though, to find that Draco did not burst out indignantly that he was completely heterosexual. There was an awkward silence and no one spoke. Finally Dumbledore cleared his throat.  
  
"Well, the silence and your blushing tells me that the contact may not always be limited to verbal and platonic." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in a way that made Harry fidget even more in his seat.  
  
"For now, then," Dumbledore continued, "You will live in the tower together for the remainder of the year, and when summer holidays come, we will come up with a new plan. You may go to class now, I will owl your teachers to let them know why you were tardy. Have a nice morning." Dumbledore smiled warmly as his students stood awkwardly and left.  
  
Harry had transfiguration, while Draco had herbology, and so the two parted ways outside of Dumbledore's office. Harry walked down the corridors to transfiguration and slipped inside, sitting next to Dean and pulling out his quill and parchment. As he began to take notes about the spell they would be using in that class, Dean leaned over to question him.  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
"Talking to Dumbledore."  
  
"Why? About what? Anything to do with Hermione?"  
  
"No. Draco. The linkling shit."  
  
"Oh." With that Dean shut up and hurridly scribbled down his own notes. McGonagall demonstrated the transfiguration twice, changing her pillow into an Iguana, and then back to a pillow. After that, they were on their own to try to change their pillows.  
  
After several times, Harry had a green scaly pillow and Dean had an Iguana that was polka dotted at had a white ruffle down it's back and buttons for eyes. Needless to say, they spend the better part of the class mastering this transfiguration. Harry couldn't figure out why though, he wasn't sure how transforming a pillow to a lizard was ever going to aide him further in his life. Either way, he did it eventually.  
  
That night Harry skipped dinner, opting to go down to the kitchens himself and get a tray. While this was not technically, "allowed", the house elves were always falling over themselves backwards to please anyone they met, so it wasn't ever a problem to get a bit of food.  
  
He ate in the tower, immersed in a book chronically many of the Quidditch stars of the century. The pictures were by far the best part, all in color and zooming around the pages.  
  
He lost track of time and wound up reading, curled up by the fire, until late into the night. He was disturbed however, when Draco came stumbling in, once more. He was drunk again.  
  
"Jesus Malfoy, I'm starting to think you're a bloody alcoholic." He said, half smirking and half smiling. But when he met Draco's eyes, something was different from the last time.  
  
He wasn't giggling, he wasn't falling and laughing; he certainly wasn't confessing attraction to Harry. He just looked sad. Harry frowned, confused by the other boy.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked somewhat timidly. He stood up, meaning to go help Draco. He reached Draco and half-helped him to the couch where Draco flopped down and Harry returned to his curled up nook in the armchair. "Draco?"  
  
Draco made no attempt at a response, but his eyes reflected a sort of sorrow that can only come from deep inside someone. A pain that wasn't caused by someone else, but by his own emotions, betraying everything he sought to uphold.  
  
"Draco?" he tried again, more pressing this time.  
  
"Oi! Malfoy!" he called loudly. Draco lifted his head at the shout and met Harry's eyes. His gaze was so intense that Harry had to look away. He focused on the flames and Draco finally spoke.  
  
"I have a question, Potter."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you have any idea what it's like to want something you can't ever have?"  
  
"I guess, who doesn't know the feeling."  
  
"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about love. I'm talking about loving someone who won't ever love you back, someone who can't. Because "someone" won't ever get over the past, and look at the new person, not who I used to be."  
  
"Who YOU used to be?" Harry questioned, catching Draco's slip.  
  
"Who a hypothetical person used to be."  
  
"Who did you used to be, Draco?" Harry questioned softly.  
  
"I used to be a horrible person.. I did things I don't even want to think about, let alone speak out loud. I did things I'm so ashamed of. And I would give anything to take some of it back." Draco avoided eye contact, he stared blankly at the carpet, his eyes empty of anything except pain.  
  
"But who are you now?"  
  
"I'm different. I swear. I wouldn't ever do or say or think the same way as I did two years ago. I know now, I know the truth, I know right from wrong. I know dark from light. I know good from evil. I met 'evil'. I saw how it ruins lives. I saw it all. And I'm different now, because of it."  
  
"I know you are." Harry moved to sit on the couch with Draco, though at his respective end.  
  
"NO! No you don't know. You don't know, you say you do, but you don't believe me! I will always be the stupid arrogant death eater in training to you. Well I'm not anymore. I did the training, I did it all, and I regret it more than anything, but it's too late now. And because its too late, you won't ever believe that I'm really a different person."  
  
Harry reached over and rolled Draco's sleeve up. He swallowed his gasp as he saw the dark mark burned into Draco's arm. He touched it lightly with two fingers, and Draco yanked his arm back.  
  
"Don't touch it. It's disgusting. It's revolting, its repulsive, filthy, it's everything I'm not."  
  
"I know."  
  
"No." His voice cracked. "No you don't." A single tear traced a thin trail down his pale cheek. Harry reached up and brushed it aside.  
  
Without thinking, he lowered his lips to Draco's and kissed him gently, his hand stayed up at his face, cradling Draco's cheek in his palm. After several seconds, Harry pulled back and looked at Draco, afraid of what he would see.  
  
But just in his dream, all he saw was no more than lust and desire.  
  
REVIEWWWWW REVIEWWWWW  
  
I would have written more, but im in a pretty shitty mood due to a less than friendly email from my ex boyfriend. Basically saying Im a bitch, that I don't deserve his love, and that he fucking hates me and never wants to speak to me again. This was all in response to me telling him yesterday that we broke up 7 months ago, and I wanted him to leave me alone.  
  
Either way, it's been kinda shaky on my end of the computer.  
  
But that's a chapter.  
  
So review. Make me feel better.  
  
Curlytop: I love nothing more than loooong review that actually tell me something other than "I like the story". Not that I don't like those reviews, I love all of them. But long ones give me a sense of fulfillment, if you will. And for the record, I did come up with the linkling idea all on my very own, and I'm rather pleased with it.  
  
Pirate Bitch Nut: Amusing, as always. Haha. Don't worry, your names weren't THAT bad. Haha I'm j/k. Thanks!  
  
Syn(): Extra thanks, t'was you who named this lovely disaster of a story  
  
Immortal Memories: thanks for the review, thanks for the name ideas.  
  
Fi- thank you! I wouldn't ever call my writing wonderful (I think that's the word you used) but thank you!  
  
GenX-revolution- sorry it's hard for you to understand, lol, everyone else seems to do fine though. If you could tell me what you don't understand about my writing fashion then maybe I can fix it... and for the record when I graduate next may, I'll be 17.  
  
Liza Marie- I stuck the definition of S&M up at the top, well kinda.  
  
Lyonessheart- don't worry I'm fixing all those annoying fake chapters, lol, but thanks for the warning  
  
Nirvana Cheerleader- I've never read that story, but I'd be excited to read another one that's kinda like this, cause I thought I was the only one, so I'm curious how someone else does this general idea of a story. Thanks!  
  
Draco23Luver Karma N0b0dys-ang31 Superstar09 Yana5  
  
Anyone I forgot, which I'm almost sure wasn't very many, seeing as there aren't VERY MANY reviews to start with...  
  
Thanks to you too!!  
Top of Form 


	6. I'll Lay Me Down Tonight

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry one hundred times over.  
  
I know I should have updated sooner, but see, in English we have this massive poetry explication project due next week. And I have to write a 5 page explication on 10 FRENCH poems that I have to translate first. So im basically stressed beyond belief, but here, sorry if this chapter sucks. I am so exhausted.  
  
Have fun....  
  
PREVIOSLY...  
  
Harry reached over and rolled Draco's sleeve up. He swallowed his gasp as he saw the dark mark burned into Draco's arm. He touched it lightly with two fingers, and Draco yanked his arm back.  
  
"Don't touch it. It's disgusting. It's revolting, its repulsive, filthy, it's everything I'm not."  
  
"I know."  
  
"No." His voice cracked. "No you don't." A single tear traced a thin trail down his pale cheek. Harry reached up and brushed it aside.  
  
Without thinking, he lowered his lips to Draco's and kissed him gently, his hand stayed up at his face, cradling Draco's cheek in his palm. After several seconds, Harry pulled back and looked at Draco, afraid of what he would see.  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
Harry pulled his head away and looked at the ground. He wasn't sure what came over him, or what possessed him to kiss Draco. He honestly had no logic behind his actions. When he ended the kiss, he was dreading the moment when Draco would make him explain. Because he had no explanation. No reasoning, just that he wanted to, and something told him it was the right thing to do.  
  
"I shouldn't have done that." He whispered quietly, refusing the meet Draco's eye.  
  
Draco didn't say anything for several awkward seconds, and then he laughed lightly. "That such a cliché thing to say," he said, in an explanation for his laughter.  
  
Harry blushed. "I know, but it's true. I shouldn't have."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I should have been listening, not taking advantage of the fact that you were weak and needed—wait! Why not? Because you hate me! That's why not! Because now you are going to tell the entire school that I am gay and that I tried to hit on you! That's why not!" Harry spoke fast, his voice rising with panic in every syllable he spoke. "Why would you care if you ruined my life just a bit more?" He asked quietly at the end, afraid to hear the answer.  
  
"Because I don't hate you."  
  
"Yes you do."  
  
"No. I really don't." With that, Draco reached for Harry's hand in a manner that could only be described as shy. Harry looked down at their linked fingers and smiled slightly.  
  
"You don't?"  
  
"I don't."  
  
"You mean, you didn't hate me before I kissed you," Harry reasoned, "and you don't hate me now?"  
  
"Not in the slightest."  
  
"Well," Harry flushed around his ears and cheeks. "What does that mean?"  
  
"What do you mean, what does that mean?" Draco asked, fully knowing what the other boy was trying to ask.  
  
"You know. What does everything mean."  
  
"No really. I don't know." Draco's voice had a slightly joking tone about it, and Harry figured then that he was just trying to embarrass him.  
  
"I mean, what does the kiss mean? What does you not hating me mean? What does our bonding mean? What do I do tomorrow when I see you?" Harry looked directly into Draco's eyes, and after he finished speaking, Draco took a long breath.  
  
"You understand that I am still slightly drunk," he said as a warning.  
  
"I know. But does that mean you will lie to me, because you're drunk, or does it mean that you will be honest, because you're drunk."  
  
"Honest. I've always been like that."  
  
"Okay. So answer the question. Er—well questions."  
  
Draco ran a hand through his blonde hair and looked up at the ceiling briefly. "The kiss was nice. I liked it. You already know I don't hate you, and now I'm going to tell you that it's more than that. Deeper than just not hating you. And tomorrow? Tomorrow, I want you to kiss me again and I want to be able to kiss you again, like this."  
  
As he finished speaking, Harry realized that he had been moving closer slowly. Draco leaned in and closed the last few inches between them.  
  
Harry felt Draco's lips sink down onto his own, and he moaned, in spite of himself. He reached his hand around to tangle his fingers in Draco's hair, parting his lips to deepen the kiss. Draco tasted like vanilla and whiskey, and it was the most intoxicating experience Harry had ever felt. He gently bit Draco's lip, causing the blonde boy to shudder and lean into Harry's embrace. Harry leaned back onto the couch, bring Draco with him, and Harry soon found himself underneath Draco, with Draco kissing trails down Harry's neck.  
  
Harry shivered as Draco traced his tongue up to his right ear. It was when he shuddered and squirmed against the body on top of him, that he first felt Draco's erection pressed up against his. The simple contact caused Draco's arms, which had previously been supporting him, to give and he dropped down onto Harry, kissing him again frantically. Harry pressed his hips upward and groaned as sparks shot out from his groin and spread throughout his body, all the way to his fingers and toes.  
  
Harry grinned as he felt warm fingers move under his shirt and begin to caress his stomach and chest. He leaned forward long enough to let Draco to lift his shirt over his head, and then remove his own. Harry was in heaven.  
  
"Mmmm, Harry?" Draco stopped kissing him long enough to manage a small sentence.  
  
Harry's reply came between ragged breaths, "Yeah, what?"  
  
"As much as I love this, do you really think the couch is the right place to be?"  
  
Harry moaned as Draco continued to assault his abs with his tongue. "I, I guess not."  
  
"Where do you think we should go?"  
  
"Do you want to go up to my room?" Harry asked seductively, yet jokingly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah I do." Draco sat up, still straddling Harry. Harry closed his eyes at the friction between his crotch and where Draco sat on him.  
  
The two teens rose and made their way upstairs.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Um. I'm a virgin." Harry blushed, "Well—no, that's not what I meant, I'm NOT a virgin, just, I'm this kind of virgin. You know?"  
  
Draco laughed as Harry wrapped his arms around him from behind, pressing his arousal into him. He turned in Harry's arms. "I know what you mean," he said as he skillfully undid Harry's jeans and let them drop to the ground.  
  
"Are you THIS kind of virgin?" Harry asked curiously while he rid Draco of his pants as well. Once they were both down boxers, he backed them up and then onto the bed. He looked down at Draco, who was blushing.  
  
"Well. In a word," he stalled. "No."  
  
"You're not?"  
  
"Er, well no. I'm no kind of virgin."  
  
"That's interesting." Harry said, laughing at how uncomfortable Draco was steadily becoming. "I don't want to be THIS kind of virgin any more, you know." He informed the boy underneath him.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. And I want to do it with you. But not tonight. Not while you are still drunk." "I understand"  
  
"I just, I want it to be special. You know?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Besides, its almost two in the morning. And we have classes tomorrow."  
  
In response, Draco only yawned. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, and finally asked, "Can we go to sleep?"  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
They crawled up to the head of the bed and pulled back the blankets. Harry fell asleep that night wrapped in Draco's cozy embrace.  
  
Well. That's the end. For now. I might write more tonight.  
  
Many thanks to all my reviewers, I would list ya'll by name, but uh, I hate when people do that, it just takes up SO MUCH space. Ahh! But just know that I love each and every one of you very very much.  
  
So review!  
  
Xoxo kate  
Top of Form 


	7. Much Further down

I know, I'm really sorry (like usual) that it is taking me this long to update, I really am. But see, last Tuesday, I had a big accident with that stupid laptop of mine. I was walking out of my English classroom when stupid me thought it would be a good idea to try and drop it down the stairs. All of them. Let me tell you, its not. Long story short, it died. It went to computer heaven. And so currently I have this massive replacement laptop that is older than dirt until I can either get everything in my old one replaced or buy a new computer. That's why I haven't updated in forever and a year or two. And I'm sorry, but I have an excuse. (Not that it helps) Anyways. I will try to give you a good chapter because I feel so guilty but you know, I'm stressed as anything being the last week before exams and all. But I'll try okay?  
  
And still, a beta reader would be appreciated. Just so you know.  
  
Also, I can't really remember where I left off in this pathetic story, and I have no Internet connection with this hung of plastic and wires and I lost all my files and such. So I will just like, start a new day or something to that extent. Sorry if I confuse you or something terrible. If I write anything that contradicts what I have said previously, just let me know and I'll fix it. I just want to get another chapter up before someone hunts me down with a blow torch or something.  
  
PREVIOSLY...  
  
"Er, well no. I'm no kind of virgin."  
  
"That's interesting." Harry said, laughing at how uncomfortable Draco was steadily becoming. "I don't want to be THIS kind of virgin any more, you know." He informed the boy underneath him.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. And I want to do it with you. But not tonight. Not while you are still drunk." "I understand"  
  
"I just, I want it to be special. You know?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Besides, its almost two in the morning. And we have classes tomorrow."  
  
In response, Draco only yawned. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, and finally asked, "Can we go to sleep?"  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
They crawled up to the head of the bed and pulled back the blankets. Harry fell asleep that night wrapped in Draco's cozy embrace.  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
Harry strolled into the Great Hall for breakfast that morning; he scanned the room and saw Ginny and Dean sitting together at the end of the Gryffindor table. He walked over to them and took a seat next to Dean, across from Ginny.  
  
"Morning Harry," Ginny said pleasantly.  
  
Harry somewhat grunted in response as he piled food into his mouth. Swallowing loudly, he said, "Morning Gin," he nodded to the boy next to him, "hey Dean."  
  
Harry continued to eat as Ginny and Dean continued their conversation around him. He half listened and he half lost himself in his own thoughts. He couldn't quite figure out his thoughts on everything that had happened with Draco two nights ago. He hadn't really talked to Draco since that night; when he woke the next morning, Draco was still asleep. He just got out of bed and went about his day; he left for breakfast before Draco had even awoken. That day he hadn't seen the blonde boy much at all and he spent his night in the library, reviewing his potions homework.  
  
But he wasn't avoiding him. He defiantly wasn't avoiding him. Okay... He was avoiding him. He was confused. He was very confused.  
  
Harry tried to think his thoughts through, but everything was so complicated. He decided that he needed some air, he grabbed a piece of toast and thanked Merlin that it was a Saturday. As he wandered down to the lake, he let his thoughts flow again.  
  
What happened with Draco was what he wanted, right? It was what Draco wanted, he was sure. But he couldn't help but wonder if he was making a mistake, what if he wasn't gay? This was the kind of decision that you couldn't mess up; it effected you for the rest of your life. Maybe he was wrong; maybe he was just a horny teenage boy. Maybe he was still getting over Hermione.  
  
'Who the fuck are you kidding, Harry?' he thought, almost out loud. 'Of course you're bloody still getting over that bitch,' Harry corrected himself mentally.  
  
Harry plopped down onto the grass and threw a rock out into the lake. He watched the ripples spread back out at him and chewed his toast thoughtfully. He was rushing things. He hadn't had time to grieve, he was still hurt, still adjust to life without her. That was all. He was sure of it. Now that everything had sunk in, Harry was sure that he wasn't gay. Positive almost. He looked down at his hand, the veins running atop it and sighed. Malfoy's blood ran through his veins too. Even if he wasn't gay, Draco was. And now Harry was stuck with him forever. And he wasn't even gay. He was sure of it. Positive.  
  
He rested his head onto his knees and vowed to himself to tell Draco tonight that he had made a mistake, that it was wrong. Harry heaved a long sigh and he felt someone sit down beside him.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Ginny asked him softly.  
  
"That's a muggle phrase," he responded lightly, teasing her.  
  
"I know. So what if I happen to like muggle movies."  
  
"You don't have a TV." Harry pointed out knowledgably. "How do you watch muggle movies?"  
  
"Au contraire, my friend. I do too have a TV. It's in my room, Mum doesn't know about it yet. Took me almost two months to figure out how to hook everything up. Muggles are so complicated." She laughed at the memory of all the wires and cords. "But my technology skills aren't the point. What's up?"  
  
"Ah, nothing. Just thought I would take advantage of the Saturday and the sun." He threw another rock towards the center of the lake. This time, however, the rock came pelting back at him with a force that would have actually hurt, had it hit him. "Stupid squid." He muttered as the rock whizzed by his right ear.  
  
Ginny chuckled and then asked him again, "I don't believe you. What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't know." She looked at him pointedly. "Okay. I know, but its weird, its complicated."  
  
"Well do you wanna talk about it?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe, no.. yes. I guess." He pushed his hand through his dark hair and sighed again. "Where do I start?"  
  
"Well the beginning would be a nice point"  
  
"That was so cliché."  
  
"I know, but you asked a cliché question, and so you got a cliché response." Harry looked over at her and raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"Never mind. That makes hardly any sense. But just start where it gets complicated I guess."  
  
"Well. See, Draco kissed me." Ginny looked up at him, startled. "Or well, I kissed him." Now she just looked puzzled. "Oh bollocks, Gin, I don't know who kissed who, but it happened."  
  
"And..." she prompted.  
  
"And I liked it, or I did then. But then is started thinking. And I don't think I'm gay. I think I was just being a hormone driven teenager." He paused and blushed slightly. "I mean, I haven't even gotten over her."  
  
"Her." Ginny said quietly.  
  
"Yeah. Her." Harry looked away, over the lake and into the distance. Ginny saw his eyes glaze over and he was lost in thought. She studied him as he reminisced. She studied the way the morning sunlight hit his dark hair, the way his tanned skin glowed, even when he was upset.  
  
'What the fuck Virginia Weasley?!' she shouted at herself inside her head. She shook her head quickly to stop her line of thought. 'Where the hell did that come from?' She looked back up at Harry, albeit cautiously this time. She saw his chin quiver slightly; his memories had taken a bad turn.  
  
She rested her hand on his bare arm and he jolted out of his reverie. "Harry?" She questioned him, "don't think about it, and don't dwell in the past."  
  
"I know I shouldn't, but its hard Gin. It's really hard not to think about it all. I mean, what did I do wrong? What's wrong with me? Why did she fall out of love with me?" He looked deep into Ginny's eyes, searching for the questions and coming up short.  
  
"I don't know Harry, I don't. Because really, you are so much better than she deserved in the first place. The bitch doesn't know how lucky she was."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Would I lie to you?" Ginny cracked a grin and it lit up not only her face, but his too.  
  
"Never."  
  
"Of course not." She smiled at him and he smiled back, grateful that he had a friend in her; seeing as he lost both Ron and Hermione.  
  
(A/N I wish I had hair long enough to tie into a knot so I didn't even need a hair tie. Lol. Sorry)  
  
"So," Ginny began, opening a new topic. "When's the next Quidditch practice, eh Captain?"  
  
"Uh, I hadn't really thought about it."  
  
"Well buddy, you better. We play Hufflepuff in two weeks."  
  
Ginny was the keeper for Gryffindor and had been since her third year. The beaters were Seamus and Dean and the chasers were three sixth year girls, triplets, Melinda, Isabelle and Natasha Del Favero. All three girls were Italian and had long brown hair the color of burnt brown sugar and eyes that almost matched the color of their hair. They were identical in every way except that they each wore a different hair accessory every day, to help people keep them strait. The three were Ginny's closest friends, and Harry's favorite players, other than Ginny.  
  
"Ah. I guess we'll have to have practice tomorrow. You wanna tell everyone for me?"  
  
"Uh. No."  
  
"Ginnnnnnny" he whined, knowing she was only kidding.  
  
"Mmm, maybe. But why should I?"  
  
"Because I asked nicely?" He flashed her a bright smile and she conceded.  
  
"Okay. Fine. But you owe me."  
  
"Deal. I owe you. Just because I am lazy and don't feel like hunting down five bloody people."  
  
Ginny just laughed at him. "You know I'm the greatest."  
  
"Yes. You're the greatest." With that, Harry stood and offered the redhead on the ground his hand. They started back towards the castle laughing over something irrelevant.  
  
"Wait." Ginny stopped walking and turned to face him. "You didn't really talk about what's bothering you," she remembered, frowning. Harry ran his hands through his hair, causing it to appear even more disheveled that usual.  
  
"I know. But I think it's okay. I just have to tell Draco that I made a mistake, multiple mistakes." He sighed and looked at her. "Gods, Gin. How do I always get myself into such messes?"  
  
"I dunno Buddy, I dunno." She smiled as she said this. "When are you going to tell him?"  
  
"Today. Tonight. I have to."  
  
"Yeah. You have too." The duo began their stroll back to the castle; Harry lost in thought about how he would tell Malfoy his revelation and Ginny confused as to why she suddenly felt nervous around Harry, one of her best friends.  
  
REVIEW!! I COMAND IT!  
  
Well... don't cry, I have a plan for this story now. Hear that? I HAVE A PLAN!!!!!!! 


	8. Swim in the calm tonight

Okay, okay. I just thought everyone should know that I have given this story an immense amount of thought, and reached a conclusion. I WILL continue writing it, it WILL end Draco/Harry and I have figured out how to ease my need to write some Ginny action... so bear with me here. Because I'm going to try this story again. I did go back and read over the first 7 chapters and made a couple very MINOR changes that you don't have to go back and find, I just thought I would let you know. I didn't change anything plot wise though. Okay. Here we go...  
  
PREVIOSLY:  
  
"Wait." Ginny stopped walking and turned to face him. "You didn't really talk about what's bothering you," she remembered, frowning. Harry ran his hands through his hair, causing it to appear even more disheveled that usual.  
  
"I know. But I think its okay. I just have to tell Draco that I made a mistake, multiple mistakes." He sighed and looked at her. "Gods, Gin. How do I always get myself into such messes?"  
  
"I dunno Buddy, I dunno." She smiled as she said this. "When are you going to tell him?"  
  
"Today. Tonight. I have to."  
  
"Yeah. You have too." The duo began their stroll back to the castle; Harry lost in thought about how he would tell Malfoy his revelation and Ginny confused as to why she suddenly felt nervous around Harry, one of her best friends.  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
Harry sat quietly in the common room that night, waiting for Draco to return from wherever he currently was. While he waited he worked on an essay for professor Sprout that was due the next morning. However, his mind was far from magical plants and all he could think about was what in the world he was going to tell Draco when he returned. He knew what to say, he just didn't know the words or how to make his mouth say them out loud. He lay his head down and fell into fitful sleep.  
  
He awoke suddenly as the portrait swung open and Draco wandered in very late that night. The blonde dropped onto the couch with his legs hanging over the arm in a very ungraceful manner. Harry looked up.  
  
"Uh, we need to talk." 'STUPID' he berated himself in his mind. 'Again with the bloody cliché phrases. God DAMMIT.'  
  
"Yeah, I guess we do." Draco consented, grinning at Harry. A wave of guilt washed over Harry as he realized that he was about to ruin Draco's good mood. Along with the guilt came a sharp pain in his chest at the idea of causing this other person pain.  
  
"I made a mistake" Harry began.  
  
Draco snickered, but in a friendly, joking way. "Wishing you had fucked me after all? Even though I was drunk?" He smiled again.  
  
Harry turned his eyes to the fire and stared past it. His fingers began to fidget in his lap and his eyebrows narrowed as he searched for the words. Finally he decided to just be blunt. "No. I shouldn't have kissed you; I shouldn't have taken you up to my room. I shouldn't have even thought about sleeping with you. None of it."  
  
Draco's face fell as he heard the words coming from Harry's mouth. "Are you serious?" he asked, refusing to believe this. It was a cruel joke. A sick cruel one that was merely payback for every insult he had previously hurled at Harry. Any minute now Harry's face would crack into that adorable lopsided smile and he was laugh at Draco's distress. And they would kiss. He knew it. They would kiss tenderly, like lovers. That's what they were. That's what they would be. Lovers. But none of this was happening. Harry wasn't smiling. His face was empty but his eyes were shimmering slightly and he watched him swallow in an attempt to delay the tears. So far, Harry was managing to hold back his pain.  
  
"I've never been more serious in my life" he finally said, refusing to meet Draco's eyes. "It was wrong." He swallowed again and pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead, hiding his famous scar from view. "Disgusting even."  
  
Draco just stared at him. "What. Why?" His voice sounded innocent to an almost comical level. Draco was anything but innocent.  
  
When he heard this question, this one word, 'why', Harry lost control. He didn't have an answer; he didn't KNOW why it was wrong. It just was, because he said so. Didn't Draco understand that? Why the fuck should he have to explain himself. Immediately his subconscious covered his uncertainty with anger.  
  
"BLOODY HELL. BECAUSE I'M NOT GAY, MALFOY!" He seethed and clenched his fists tight at his sides. Later he would notice the tiny cuts that resulted from his nails digging into the soft skin.  
  
Draco didn't say anything. He didn't have to, his face told it all. Harry watched him bite his lower lip and look at the ground. If Harry hadn't lost all form of control already, he would have felt a stab of guilt through his chest. But he didn't. He couldn't. He was furious. Infuriated at himself, for being attracted to Draco, angry at Draco for bonding them and mostly, angry at himself for not knowing what to do.  
  
Unable to come up with a better plan, he continued to yell. "I'm not gay. I don't find you attractive." Draco winced. "I never have. I don't know what the fuck was wrong with me last night." Harry laughed bitterly. "No, NO I KNOW WHY I DID IT. I know why I kissed you, why I touched you." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I kissed you because I felt bad for you. I pitied you. I pitied you because you're gay and because you answer to filth like Voldermort. But most of all I pitied you because you love me and I will NEVER ever love something like you. Never." His face was red with anger now and he was standing over the other boy.  
  
Draco finally looked up at him. First, his face displayed open hurt and betrayal, but in an instant it was gone. Draco put up his infamous mask and sneered at Harry, he gave Harry the same degrading look he had given every day for the last six years. He stood too and cursed the fact that Harry was about an inch or so taller than him.  
  
"Potter." His voice was cold now, icy and Harry shivered mentally, already regretting lying to Draco. "You disgust me." Draco didn't break eye contact once as he continued. "I'm gay. I accept that. And that says something. You're gay. And you CAN'T accept that. That's pathetic. When you finally come to bloody terms with yourself you will see how pathetic it was that I know more about your sexual preferences than you did. And when you finally admit it all, you won't have SOMETHING like me to run too." With that Draco spun and brushed past Harry and up the stairs. He didn't slam his bedroom door. He shut it quietly. That was Harry's first clue that he had fucked up beyond repair. Harry groaned. And then slowly, he turned and left the common room. He followed the familiar path to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Upon entering he collapsed onto one of the couches, spent from his mental exertion. It was past midnight now and he curled up on the couch and fell asleep. The lone students that were still in the common room ignored him completely. By one in the morning, the room was empty, save Harry.  
  
Ginny and Dean wandered into the common room at two a.m. after having been in an empty classroom together. Ginny sucked in her breath as she saw Harry lying on the couch, sound asleep. In his slumber he looked innocent, childlike and frail. The mother hen in her came out with wings flapping and everything. She looked at Dean and he looked back.  
  
"Well I don't know what to do." He said quietly.  
  
"I figured you wouldn't."  
  
"Do you need me?"  
  
"No, I should probably talk to him myself. Clearly his conversation with Draco didn't go as planned, if he's sleeping here not in his room." Ginny had filled Dean in with the details from her and Harry's talk. She knew Harry wouldn't mind, and Dean was after all her boyfriend.  
  
"Okay, then I'm going to bed." He kissed her gently but with passion and then disappeared up the stairs to his dorm. Ginny sighed and picked up a blanket and spread it on top of Harry's sleeping form. He stirred at the contact and Ginny smiled slightly as he sat down next to him. She brushed the hair back from his forehead and frowned when she saw his eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. She sat there for several moments, smoothing his hair and watching him sleep. Slowly, his eyes opened and he took a moment to focus his vision on the redhead who was sitting next to him.  
  
"Ginny?" he murmured, his speech slurred from having just woken up.  
  
"Yeah, it's just me." She said quietly, her hand stilling on his head.  
  
"No... Not just you. You."  
  
"Harry, that makes no sense." She smiled softly.  
  
"I know. I know." He sat up and wrapped his arms around her tiny shoulders, burying his face in her hair. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo and her perfume. Ginny's stomach flipped over at the contact and she tensed briefly before leaning into his embrace. Finally she broke the hug.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"That was for being you. For listening to me." Harry spoke honestly and as he watched her face he could truly agree with Draco, no, Malfoy's opinion. She was hot. Her face was creamy and dotted with cinnamon colored freckles. Her eyes were light brown with shimmers of gold and yellow. Her dark red lips were currently parted slightly and stood out against her complexion. Her body. As he moved on with his appraisal, he smiled. She was the epitome of a petite girl. She was in perfect proportion, her chest, her hips, he slim legs, everything about her complimented her. She was thin. Very thin. Harry briefly entertained the thought that she might have been too thin. Her collarbone, dusted with light freckles, jutted out and her face had lost all the baby fat it had sported when he first met her. Harry supposed that if she were to lift her shirt, you could count the ribs. She wasn't wearing her school robes, just a ribbed black tank top and her uniform skirt. He noticed that the skirt, which had once fit her perfectly, hung slightly loose on her hips now and her pelvic bones were defined and prominent right above the hem of her skirt. Her legs were creamy colored too and it was clear when she stood that her thighs no longer touched. Harry frowned. This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all.  
  
Ginny laughed at him quietly. "Why are you frowning?" she asked. She was well aware that he had been checking her out, but opted not to point it out.  
  
"Gin, do you eat anymore?"  
  
She paled slightly, but it was barely noticeable. "What are you talking about? Of course I do. I see you every day in the Great Hall. You see me eat. Don't be ridiculous." She laughed again and made it clear the subject was closed.  
  
Harry tried to think back to meals with her and he was ashamed to admit that he couldn't remember if she had been eating or not, just that she had been there. He made a mental note to watch that more closely. There was something wrong.  
  
"Did you tell Draco?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"And I'm assuming it didn't go very well?"  
  
"Not at all. I got mad. I yelled, and I told him I did it out of pity and that he was disgusting and that I wasn't gay."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah. Wow."  
  
"Well did you mean it?" she asked.  
  
"Well, parts of it. He's not disgusting, if I didn't hate him already coming into this, well we could be friends. But I'm not gay. That wasn't a lie."  
  
"Ah" Ginny acknowledged.  
  
"Ah?"  
  
"Just 'Ah'" They both laughed at this bizarre conversation. "It's late." Ginny said. "You should go to bed."  
  
"Where? I cant go back to the common room, I don't have a bed up in the dorms anymore."  
  
"Well you were sleeping on the couch, you could do that." She paused, as if thinking for a better solution. "No, I know" she said slowly. "You can come upstairs and you can sleep in my bed."  
  
"Uh, Gin. The stairs. They won't let me up, you know that."  
  
"For another cliché statement, where there's a will, there's a way. Follow me." She stood and he followed. When they got to the bottom of the stairs she instructed him to wait. She walked up the stairs and took out her wand. She counted the floor boards on the top landing and lifted the fifth one from the right. Under the board was a red dot. She pressed the tip on her wand to the dot and the stairs glowed for a moment and then returned to their normal state. "Come on" she said.  
  
Cautiously, Harry took a step. The slide did not appear and there was no ear splitting scream. He sighed in relief and continued up. Ginny led him into her dorm where three other sixth years were fast asleep. She pointed to the furthest bed on the left. He went to it and sat. Ginny cast a silencing charm over them so as not to wake the triplets she roomed with.  
  
"Close your eyes" she said. He did as he was told and Ginny slipped out of her skirt and into a pair of hand me down red pajama pants that had once been Bill's. She rolled the waistband several times to make the legs shorter and then used a hair band to tighten the waist. She turned around and told Harry he could open his eyes. He did and laughed quietly at Ginny, who was practically drowning in the oversized pants. She glared at him jokingly and climbed into her bed. "You can sleep in your boxers and shirt" she informed him with her face muffled into the pillow. Harry laughed.  
  
"Aye aye." Ginny had once again managed to better his mood and make him smile when he thought he could never smile again. He slid into her bed too and whispered goodnight. He got a sleepy response before he drifted off to sleep again.  
  
Back in his and Draco's tower, Draco lay dejectedly on top of his made bed. His face was pale and his eyes were blank. He had stopped crying long ago and now he was just confused beyond belief.  
  
'If that's the way he wants it,' Draco thought. 'That's how it will be.' After that final thought he rolled onto his side and fell asleep, with his shoes still on and the bed curtains still open.  
  
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Have no fear, I have a plan.  
  
All my love,  
Katie 


	9. This Art Does Drown

I swear I never intended to go three months before I updated... it just happened. Here's another chapter, I think you'll like it....

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from JK's books. I own my plot and my brain. That is about it. I promise.

PREVIOUSLY:

"BLOODY HELL. BECAUSE I'M NOT GAY, MALFOY!" He seethed and clenched his fists tight at his sides. Later he would notice the tiny cuts that resulted from his nails digging into the soft skin.

Draco didn't say anything. He didn't have to, his face told it all. Harry watched him bite his lower lip and look at the ground. If Harry hadn't lost all form of control already, he would have felt a stab of guilt through his chest. But he didn't. He couldn't. He was furious. Infuriated at himself, for being attracted to Draco, angry at Draco for bonding them and mostly, angry at himself for not knowing what to do.

Unable to come up with a better plan, he continued to yell. "I'm not gay. I don't find you attractive." Draco winced. "I never have. I don't know what the fuck was wrong with me last night." Harry laughed bitterly. "No, NO I KNOW WHY I DID IT. I know why I kissed you, why I touched you." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I kissed you because I felt bad for you. I pitied you. I pitied you because you're gay and because you answer to filth like Voldermort. But most of all I pitied you because you love me and I will NEVER ever love something like you. Never." His face was red with anger now and he was standing over the other boy.

Draco finally looked up at him. First, his face displayed open hurt and betrayal, but in an instant it was gone. Draco put up his infamous mask and sneered at Harry, he gave Harry the same degrading look he had given every day for the last six years. He stood too and cursed the fact that Harry was about an inch or so taller than him.

"Potter." His voice was cold now, icy and Harry shivered mentally, already regretting lying to Draco. "You disgust me." Draco didn't break eye contact once as he continued. "I'm gay. I accept that. And that says something. You're gay. And you CAN'T accept that. That's pathetic. When you finally come to bloody terms with yourself you will see how pathetic it was that I know more about your sexual preferences than you did. And when you finally admit it all, you won't have SOMETHING like me to run too." With that Draco spun and brushed past Harry and up the stairs. He didn't slam his bedroom door. He shut it quietly. That was Harry's first clue that he had fucked up beyond repair. Harry groaned. And then slowly, he turned and left the common room. He followed the familiar path to the Gryffindor common room.

Chapter Nine: This Art Does Drown

Ginny opened her eyes slowly the next morning and rolled over onto her back. Her arm collided ungracefully with another body and Harry sat strait up with a panicked expression. Ginny giggled as his abrupt movements and when he turned to look at her sleepily, she blushed and her arm dropped slowly back down to the bed.

"Sorry," she conceded. She swung her legs over the edge of the double bed and her low riding pajama pants displayed just about every bone in her lower back. Harry winced. He made a mental note to ask Dean if this was a recent development.

Ginny looked out the window and the sun shone brightly but the curtains around her roommates' beds were still tightly wound around the posters of the bed, revealing that no one else had awakened. She cast a quick silencing charm over her bed and turned to Harry. "It's still early, you don't have to leave yet. But, I'm going to take a shower and you shouldn't stay too long because if anyone in here finds you, I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining why you aren't Dean." She laughed at the thought of having to come up with a reason that the boy-who-lived was in her bed.

"Does Dean spend the night a lot?" Harry asked curiously. Ginny blushed.

"Um. No. I don't think so."

"You don't know?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed together as he questioned her good naturedly.

"Shut up." With that Ginny turn and flounced over the bathrooms. Harry rubbed his eyes and stepped onto the wooden floor. The boards were freezing under his feet and he walked quickly to his pants which were crumpled on the floor. He pulled them on and walked out of the room. He counted the floorboards at the top of the stairs, just as he had seen Ginny do the night before.

When he found the right one and pressed the magic red button, the stairs glowed once more and he cautiously stepped down onto the top step. Breathing a sigh of relief that the stairs were permitting him, he quickly descended. The common room was empty and the large clock showed that it was only just past six a.m. Breakfast didn't even begin until seven so most students rarely rose until right before seven.

The corridors were deserted as he walked back up to his tower. The air was cold and he shivered under his thin uniform shirt. He sped up and rubbed his arms in a futile attempt to generate some heat. Finally he reached the portrait and stepped back into his common room. The fire was nearly dead and the room was empty. The morning sun didn't shine through the thick curtains and the air seemed to reek of ill feelings. Harry trudged through the common room and over the stairs. He climbed slowly, dreading a possible encounter with Draco.

As he passed Draco's door, he noted that it was closed tightly and no noise came from behind it. He averted his eyes and walked faster towards his own room. As he entered, he noticed that his freshly made bed did not seem to be very inviting; he could feel the chill of cold sheets against his skin and shuddered, opting not to go back to sleep. He pulled fresh clothes out and stepped into the bathroom.

When Harry emerged from the bathroom door, he was startled to find Draco waiting right on the other side. Harry met his eyes slowly and his own heart broke as he saw the raw emotion in Draco's eyes. Draco dropped his eyes to the ground, "it's about fucking time, Potter." His voice was cold and had Harry not just looked in his eyes, he would think that nothing had changed from the years before. Draco walked past him with his shoulders squared and defiantly, he closed the door in Harry's face.

Sharp pains of guilt stabbed at Harry's chest and his face fell. Why did the doing what was right have to hurt so badly? It would have been wrong to lead Draco on. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. That's what it would have been. He tried to force all thoughts of Draco from his head and turned to go down to breakfast. Grabbing his book bag, he headed towards the Great Hall.

Dean looked up as his girlfriend dropped down next to him on the couch. They were sitting by the fire in the Gryfindor common room. She kissed his cheek lightly and then leaned back into the cushions.

"Hey Gin," he greeted her familiarly.

"Morning."

"Did you talk to Harry last night?"

"Yeah, he was pretty upset." She cringed, remembering what he had allegedly told Draco in his furry. "He says he's not gay. He told Draco that, he told him that Draco disgusted him and that he would never love him."

"That's heavy. Did he mean it?"

"I don't know. He says he does. But I just don't know." Ginny frowned and rubbed her eyes. "I just don't know."

Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. She twisted her body and he ended up pulling her upper half into his lap and she opted to lay face up across his legs. Dean idly twisted her hair around his fingers and she sighed. He looked down at her, worried by her sigh and then realized that she was happy, laying there with him. "Gin?"

"Mmhmm?" she replied with her eyes closed.

"You know I love you right?" her eyes opened slowly.

"I do," she studied his face curiously and he blushed.

"Good."

"And I love you too."

"I know" he said simply. Ginny sat up and leaned over to hug him. It was an intimate hug; no free from sexual innuendos, but predominantly meant to show love; deep love, meaningful love and genuine affection. She leaned back and situated herself in his lap, his arm around her tiny waist. He leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly. At first he meant for that kiss to last only a few seconds, a passing kiss. But, as he pulled away she wrapped a hand around his neck and initiated much more than an innocent kiss.

She ran her tongue over his lip and he parted his lips granting her access. The kiss lasted only a few more moments before she pulled away and grinned cheekily. "Ready to go to breakfast?" She asked him conversationally.

She sat up and slid out of his lap and he groaned at the action. "My god, Gin. Why do you do this?" he asked in a halted voice. She smiled at him slowly, it was a genuine smile too.

She extended her hand to him and rising, he took it. Together they walked out of the common room as she replied "because," and she paused for a moment, "because I can. That's why."

"Well, whatever you do, don't stop." Ginny giggled and pinched his side. He jumped away from her, trying to glare at her. She well knew that he was abnormally ticklish. She giggled again and he picked her up, tossing her head and shoulders over his shoulder.

"Dean!" she shrieked, pounding pointlessly on his back. "Put me down! Everyone can see up my skirt." The halls were deserted still, and she knew this. Dean grinned and turned to look at her ass.

"No one can see up your skirt. There's no one here but me." With that he lifted the edge of it and pressed a kiss against the side of her thigh. She giggled and then relaxed her body. Dean chuckled before he swung her back down to her feet.

"Stupid boy," she tried to reprimand him by shaking her finger like a teacher, but he caught it easily in his own hand and pressed another kiss on the center of her palm.

Ginny felt her knees weaken as he lowered his eyes to meet hers. He proceeded to drop kissed on the inside of her wrist, her forearm and then up to her elbow. She shivered as his soft lips grazed the inside of her elbow and then up her arm. She hadn't realized that he had been backing her up until she felt the cold stone wall hit her back. She relaxed against it and gave in to his kisses which moved quickly up to her mouth. He kissed the corner of her lips and then smiled down at her. He dropped one last kiss onto her freckled forehead and then pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a warm hug.

"I love you" he whispered into her ear. He felt her smile and once again they continued towards the Great Hall, his arm wrapped around her, holding her close to him.

The two of them sat down across from Harry, who didn't look up at their arrival.

"Morning Harry" Ginny said brightly.

Only then did he raise his head. His eyes had a fresh film of tears and Ginny's heart broke sympathetically. "Did something else happen?" she asked gently. He had seemed okay when she left him that morning.

He merely nodded miserably before turning his attention back to the eggs in front of him. He hadn't eaten a bite, only pushed the food around, letting it get cold and inedible.

Ginny didn't give up. "What happened?" she questioned further.

Harry didn't respond at first, and just before she could ask again, he began to talk.

Harry left the common room in a fairly okay mood, all things considered. Even though, he went out of his way to take an alternate path to the Great Hall, he did not want to talk to anyone right now so he figured he'd best take halls that were rarely used. He was en route, albeit going out of his way slightly, to the Great Hall when he rounded a corner and was confronted with a sight that made him physically ill.

Hermione was pressed up against a wall, her legs wound around the waist of a boy whose face he couldn't see. Her shirt was undone completely, save one button, and her skirt was bunched around her waist. They were having sex. No, they were FUCKING. And none too gently. Harry stood frozen and unnoticed as she bucked against the nameless male. He watched as the boy leaned one of his hands on the wall next to her head, supporting himself in climax and used the other hand to force her hips closer to him. Harry stood dazed and it wasn't until Hermione let out small moan that he snapped to reality.

He stumbled backwards awkwardly and as luck would have it, right into a suit of armor. The metal body crashed to the ground and Hermione and the boy jerked towards him. Harry identified the boy as a seventh year Ravenclaw, Alexander Wilks. Alexander's face flushed deep red in embarrassment and Harry mentally noted that Hermione did not show any sort of emotion. She was completely passive as she turned her gaze upon him. Her hair was messed up and she straightened her skirt calmly after being lowered to the ground. She turned her body to face Harry as she buttoned her shirt.

Harry stood there, his mouth unattractively hanging open. He was speechless, staring at her.

"What?" she asked coldly. "What the fuck are you staring at?" She undid the clips in her hair and then refastened them, adjusting the curls around her shoulders. "Are you stupid? Go away." With that she grabbed Wilks' hand and they walked away. Alexander glanced over his shoulder, his face showing a good amount of guilt. The boy had some sense that what he had been caught doing was wrong on many levels. Or at least he felt some remorse for hurting Harry.

Harry stood there for a good five minutes before he gathered up his discarded book bag and walked to the Great Hall in a stunned silence. Upon entering, he saw that Draco had already arrived and was sitting with Pansy and that Cecile slut. They were falling all over him, flashing bits of their chest, batting their eyes and pouting their lips in a way that might have aroused any strait boy. Harry stared with no emotion. Draco felt the eyes on him and raised his head to meet Harry's gaze. Harry felt locked by the stare and in Draco's eyes he realized he could see past the wall that Draco erected. Harry could see hurt, he could see pain and he could see the effects of betrayal.

Guilt stabbed at him again and he ripped his eyes away. He felt Draco watch him as he took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"That stupid bitch, I hate her." Ginny burst out after Harry finished his sad story.

"Don't call her that," Harry defended her, out of habit.

Dean looked at him pityingly. "You've got to get over her. Or at least admit she's done you wrong and deserves to go to hell" he told Harry. Harry raised his eyes to look at the couple.

"Was it my fault?" his voice cracked slightly. "Did I make her hate me? What did I do wrong?" his voice faded into nothing and a tear traced silently down his cheek. He pushed it away in an angry movement that betrayed that he was merely embarrassed. "Oh god, Ginny, what did I do wrong?"

Ginny reached across the table and took his hand. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing at all. She's not worth you being upset over." She paused and then continued, as an afterthought, "I'm not saying what you feel is wrong, because they are your feelings and no one can tell you that they are right or wrong, I'm only saying that you did nothing to cause this and you have no reason to blame yourself."

Harry didn't look up. Finally he raised his head. His eyes were panicked and he looked at Dean. "I'm going to be sick."

With that he rose and walked as quickly as he could out of the Great Hall. Once again, silver eyes watched him leave, this time thinking something completely different. Draco was worried. He saw how sudden Harry's departure was and he saw the way Ginny's eyes followed him with fear and/or panic splashed across her features. Draco pushed Pansy's hands away from his tie that she had been attempting to straighten and stood. He left the Hall in an equally quick departure. Ginny smiled slightly as she saw Draco follow Harry. She relaxed, knowing that the other boy would care for Harry and that she didn't have to worry.

She turned to Dean and grimaced. "I'm glad I'm not Malfoy." Ginny had a very big fear of vomit. It was just something that freaked her out. Dean smiled back at her slightly.

"I guess I'll just tell Professor Sprout he's sick or something." Dean turned back towards his breakfast and began to eat. "Aren't you eating?" he asked Ginny, concerned. He too had noticed her thinning body and strange eating habits. "You hardly eat anymore Gin."

"How can you eat after that? You know I hate vomit, I couldn't eat if I was starving." She made a face and took a sip of her tea.

Harry had barely rounded the corner into the boys bathroom before he spilled the contents of his stomach into the nearest toilet. He hadn't really eaten anything, only drank a cup of black coffee. As he kneeled over the basin, he felt a soft hand on his back and something inside him relaxed under the gentle touch. Under the gentle ministrations, his retching calmed and his stomach settled slightly. This person seemed to have healing powers. Harry leaned back on his heals and rested against the bathroom wall. He raised his eyes and was not all together surprised to see Draco crouching by him.

"You okay?" Draco asked him quietly.

"No."

"I didn't think so. Here." Draco extended his hand and motioned to help Harry stand up. Harry took it, too weak to have accomplished it on his own.

"Thanks" he smiled weakly, his face was pale and his eyes were red and shimmered with tears. Harry wiped his mouth with the corner of him robes and then wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Sorry" he apologized. "I'll just be going back to my room then." He took a step and his foot nearly gave out under him.

Draco's arm shot out instinctively and he pulled Harry close to him, supporting the other boy against him. "I don't think you can do it alone" he observed dryly.

"I know" Harry replied in a broken voice. "I can't."

Draco just sighed and began to walk forward. Together they made their way back up to the boys tower. Draco helped Harry up the stairs and then helped him get into his bed. Harry looked up at Draco and as he did, something occurred to him.

"You healed me." He stated plainly. Had he been thinking clearly he would have realized that he was not all the way healed; he did however know that Draco had made him feel ten times better with only one touch.

"Yeah I know," Draco sat down on the edge of Harry's bed. "It's the bond stuff again. I'm better at controlling the side effects that you because I'm the linkling, but it was side effects. That was the longest we had gone without seeing each other or talking or really touching since we have been bonded." Draco paused, "I wanted to warn you about that sooner, but I never got a chance. I guess you found out the hard way what happens. And it only gets worse." Draco sighed and stopped talking.

"Shit" was all Harry had to say. It was quiet for a moment longer before Harry spoke again. "I'm really tired..." His voice was quiet and reminded Draco of a small child with the flu.

"I know that too. That's a side effect of the original side effect." Draco stood up awkwardly. "You should sleep, I'll tell Dumbledore what happened." Draco moved to leave and Harry reached out his hand.

"Don't leave yet. You make me feel better." His hand dropped limply back to the bed and his face reflected a pitiful little boy who needed someone to care for him.

Draco sighed and then looked down at Harry who had captured his dreams, and possibly his heart, that day in June when he came of Age. "I'm not going anywhere" he contended.

"Good." With that Harry fell asleep. Draco walked over to the armchair by the window and sat down. He picked up one of Harry's books that was on the small bookshelf next to him.

'Quidditch through the Ages' was the title. "Typical" Draco muttered to himself as he flipped to the first page. He had read this book so many times that he had it memorized but he didn't feel like getting up and getting a book of his own, so he began to read it one more time.

Tears of Pearls

Savage Garden

And we stare each other down like victims in the grind  
Probing all the weakness and hurt still left behind and we cry  
The tears of pearls  
We do it. Oh we do it.  
  
Is love really the tragedy the way you might describe?  
Or would a thousand lovers still leave you cold inside?  
Make you cry...  
These tears of pearls  
  
All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls  
Stolen pearl devotions we keep locked away from all the world  
  
Your kisses are like pearls, so different and so rare  
But anger stole the jewels away and love has left you bare,  
Made you cry...  
These tears of pearls  
  
Well I could be the tired joker pour my heart to get you in  
Sacrifice my happiness just so I could win  
Maybe cry...  
These tears of pearls  
  
All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls  
Stolen pearls devotions we keep locked away from all the world  
  
We twist and turn where angels burn  
Like fallen soldiers we will learn  
That once forgotten, twice removed  
Love will be the death...  
The death of you  
  
All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls  
Stolen pearls devotions we keep locked away from all the world

Ahhh next time I'll try not to go almost three months before I update.... I'm sorry. I hope you liked it

REVIEW!!!


	10. bugger

**Once again, I did not, in any way shape or form, intend to go so long without updating. But you know what? Life gets busy and I just did not have time. Now that exams are done though, I'm writing another chapter. It's the 20th now, and so hopefully I'll have this up by Christmas. I mean. Hopefully it can be a non-denominational holiday gift. **

**PREEEEEEVIOUSLY:**

_"You healed me." He stated plainly. Had he been thinking clearly he would have realized that he was not all the way healed; he did however know that _

_Draco had made him feel ten times better with only one touch._

_"Yeah I know," Draco sat down on the edge of Harry's bed. "It's the bond stuff again. I'm better at controlling the side effects that you because I'm the _

_linkling, but it was side effects. That was the longest we had gone without seeing each other or talking or really touching since we have been bonded." _

_Draco paused, "I wanted to warn you about that sooner, but I never got a chance. I guess you found out the hard way what happens. And it only gets _

_worse." Draco sighed and stopped talking._

_"Shit" was all Harry had to say. It was quiet for a moment longer before Harry spoke again. "I'm really tired..." His voice was quiet and reminded Draco of _

_a small child with the flu._

_"I know that too. That's a side effect of the original side effect." Draco stood up awkwardly. "You should sleep, I'll tell Dumbledore what happened." _

_Draco moved to leave and Harry reached out his hand._

_"Don't leave yet. You make me feel better." His hand dropped limply back to the bed and his face reflected a pitiful little boy who needed someone to _

_care for him._

_Draco sighed and then looked down at Harry who had captured his dreams, and possibly his heart, that day in June when he came of Age. "I'm not _

_going anywhere" he contended._

_"Good." With that Harry fell asleep. Draco walked over to the armchair by the window and sat down. He picked up one of Harry's books that was on the _

_small bookshelf next to him._

_'Quidditch through the Ages' was the title. "Typical" Draco muttered to himself as he flipped to the first page. He had read this book so many times that _

_he had it memorized but he didn't feel like getting up and getting a book of his own, so he began to read it one more time._

CHAPTER 10: Before you go, you aught to know

Harry awoke the next morning with a stale taste in his mouth and an empty hole in his memory. Opening his eyes, he noticed that his armchair had a crumpled blanket thrown haphazardly over one arm and 'Quidditch Through the Ages' was on the floor next to it. He swung his feet out of the bed and padded softly into the bathroom to brush his teeth. As he pushed the door open, he caught sight of Draco. The other boy stood at the mirror, fresh out of the shower, trying to work the tangles out of his hair. He barely spared a sideways glance at Harry.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Draco directed his gaze back at the mirror. "How are you?" He said this without the slightest hint of compassion in his voice. It wasn't said cruelly, just void of emotion.

"I'm. I'm fine, I guess. What happened?"

Throwing the comb back into a drawer, Draco replied, "Dumbledore will explain it to you. I don't have time." With that he left the bathroom.

****

**_END OF CHAPTER_**

****

**_REPEAT. _**

****

**_THIS IS THE END OF THE DAMNED CHAPTER. _**

****

**Please don't shoot me. I can't write this anymore. I can't bring myself to write slash right now, I thought I would get over it but i haven't been able to write this story in months and I GIVE UP. **

**I can do one of two things. I can permanently put it on hold and ya'll can pray that one day I wake up with inspiration, OR, I am MORE THAN WILLING to hand over ALL rights to it to someone else if someone else can finish it. I would much rather email all the chapters to someone and I will write it out that I give it all up to someone else and they can have it. Just leave a review or email me if you want it. First come first serve. I would really rather see this finished, I don't WANT to give up, but I cant finish it right now. **

**All my love, and happy holidays… **

**KaTe**

Harry groaned as he searched for toothpaste. Apparently Draco was not inclined to look past what Harry had said to him. As he brushed his teeth, he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered running into Hermione in the halls, and he remembered talking to Ginny and Dean about it, he vaguely remembered making his way out of the Great Hall. The last fuzzy memory he had was getting sick and the presence of someone else. _That must have been Draco_, he thought to himself. Harry glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed. He could have to hurry if he wanted to make it to breakfast and still have time to see Dumbledore before his first class started.


End file.
